FG plans national skills database to tackle unemployment

The Federal Government on Tuesday unveiled plans to establish a National Skills Database as part of efforts to reduce unemployment, address the growing mismatch between available skills and industry needs, and strengthen workforce planning through data-driven policies.

The proposed database, to be developed under a Nigerian Skills Observatory, is expected to provide real-time information on the supply and demand of skills across sectors, enabling better job matching, improved policy formulation and targeted investments.

The initiative was unveiled at the second National Skills and Industry Alignment Roundtable Series held in Abuja with the theme, “The Role of Data in Job Creation, Coordination and Linkages.”

Delivering the keynote address, the Group Chief Economist and Managing Director of Research and Trade Intelligence at Afreximbank, Yemi Kale, said Nigeria’s labour market challenge was no longer the absence of data but the inability to convert existing information into actionable intelligence.

“The challenge for us as a nation is not one of data accumulation. It is one of data integration and intelligence,” Kale said.

He explained that although vast amounts of information on education, employment, wages and skills development already exist across government agencies, educational institutions and the private sector, the data remains fragmented, making effective labour market planning difficult.

“Data tells you what exists. Intelligence tells you what is happening, what is likely to happen next and what actions should be taken,” he said.

Kale lamented that while Nigeria produces thousands of graduates annually, employers in critical sectors continue to struggle to recruit qualified workers, even as millions of Nigerians remain unemployed or underemployed.

“The problem is that employers are searching, workers are searching, policymakers are searching and investors are searching independently rather than collectively. Opportunities that should be visible remain hidden because the information needed to connect them is fragmented,” he said.

According to him, the disconnect has created structural inefficiencies that discourage investment, suppress productivity and prevent Nigeria from fully leveraging its youthful population.

He added that countries that successfully transformed their economies deliberately aligned education, skills development and workforce planning with the needs of industry.

Kale urged Nigeria to view its youthful population as an economic asset by ensuring young people acquire skills demanded by modern industries.

Speaking on the proposed National Skills Database, the Special Assistant to the President on Workforce Development, Rimam Nuhu, said the platform would serve as the foundation of the Nigerian Skills Observatory.

“At the most foundational level, the Skills Observatory is to create a database on the demand and supply of skills,” Nuhu said.

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He explained that the National Council on Skills, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, would rely on data generated by the observatory to formulate evidence-based policies on workforce development.

“Skills development is an input for job creation. We have a market where there are a lot of skills mismatches. Understanding exactly where those shortages exist will help us plan better and improve workforce planning.

“Ultimately, that contributes to a more productive economy,” he added.

Nuhu acknowledged ongoing debates over whether Nigeria is facing an actual shortage of skilled workers or merely a mismatch between available skills and labour market demand, stressing that the database would provide the evidence needed to guide interventions.

Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Coordination and Delivery, Akubo Adegbe, said the roundtable was convened to tackle the fragmentation of labour market information across government institutions and the private sector.

He noted that despite huge volumes of workforce data being generated daily, the lack of coordination often leaves policymakers without a comprehensive understanding of labour market realities.

“If our first Roundtable challenged us to better align skills with industry, this second Roundtable challenges us to better align information with action,” Adegbe said.

Also speaking, the Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Massimo De Luca, said the EU would continue supporting Nigeria’s efforts to build a labour market capable of meeting investors’ needs.

“We have a shortage of skilled labour when it comes to big investment projects. On the other hand, we have a lot of untapped talent that is not adequately recognised.

“Those are realities that investors take into account,” De Luca said.

He commended the Office of the Vice President for leading reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s skills development ecosystem.

The Federal Government’s plan comes amid persistent unemployment and skills mismatch in Nigeria, where many graduates remain jobless despite employers reporting shortages of qualified workers in critical sectors.

The National Skills Database will serve as the foundation of the proposed Nigerian Skills Observatory, an initiative designed to provide real-time labour market data to guide workforce planning, skills development and evidence-based job creation policies.