The Federal Government is rolling out a bold new initiative to formalise Nigeria’s sprawling informal artisan economy through a blend of certification and digital transformation.
This forms part of wider efforts to combat youth unemployment and power economic growth and at the heart of this intervention is the newly-unveiled National Artisan Skills Acquisition Programme (NASAP).
NASAP is designed to provide skills certification and onboard qualified artisans onto a Digital Artisan Marketplace, according to Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, says while introducing the programme during the 6th National Council on Skills (NCS) meeting held at the Presidential Villa.
Minister: NASAP to train 10,000 artisans annually
NASAP, Dangiwa adds, is aimed at “creating a reliable and competent artisan workforce to drive the Ministry’s housing and infrastructure agenda while empowering Nigeria’s youth with employable skills.”
The Minister says that NASAP is set to train at least 10,000 artisans annually in high-demand trades within the construction sector. “It’s a dual-purpose strategy,” he says, “to address Nigeria’s shortage of skilled labour while opening new employment pathways for the youth.”
According to the Minister, the plan will also feature a nationwide audit of government-run skills training centres under Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure alignment with national development priorities.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, addressing the council, declares that bridging Nigeria’s wide skills gap is a national priority critical to unlocking economic transformation.
“We need to fill in the skills gap. What binds us together supersedes whatever divides us. We have to make this country work,” Shettima tells the council, reaffirming the Federal Government’s resolve to build a resilient, skilled workforce that contributes meaningfully to national growth.
The NCS also considered a proposed National Skills Infrastructure Audit to establish a centralised database of training centres across the country. The proposed audit will verify the functionality of training facilities, identify infrastructural gaps and overlaps, and help streamline efforts across MDAs.
“The government’s policy trajectory is to strengthen human capital development for national growth and industry through skills development,” the council states. “However, unless the skills infrastructure across MDAs is optimised, this vision will remain unattainable.”
The audit will include physical verification and detailed cataloguing of operational centres, ensuring compliance with national occupational standards and alignment with labour market needs.
As the Federal Government intensifies efforts to formalise Nigeria’s informal sector, the NASAP initiative signals a digital-era approach to workforce development, aiming to shift the country from unstructured labour to certified professionalism — a move poised to unlock new opportunities for millions of young Nigerians.
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