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Skill Mismatch Worsens Nigeria’s Unemployment Situation – LCCI
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) says skill mismatch contributes to persistent worsening of the Nigeria’s unemployment situation.
The LCCI President, Mrs Toki Mabogunje, said this yesterday at a news conference organised in collaboration with a group, ‘The Future Project’, on plans to train 1,000 young Nigerians under the Future Africa Internship Programme (FAIP).
Mabogunje, represented by Mrs Daramola Bamidele, Vice President, LCCI, said the training was part of efforts to improve the nation’s employment indices.
“At the LCCI, we have realised that skill mismatch contributes to persistent worsening of the Nigeria’s unemployment situation.
“It is therefore, not surprising that employers of labour lament about the skill deficiency of job seekers, especially fresh graduates.
“The discordance between school curriculum and industry needs affirms why many young people are unemployed,’’ she said.
Mabogunje said the internship programme was aimed at enabling thousands of young Africans to achieve economic sustainability through internships.
She said that the initiative was to also address the discordance between school curriculum and industry, to engender more skilled and employable youths in the country.
The LCCI president said that the scheme was an industry-focused programme with the mandate to build empowered citizens across Africa through enterprise and citizenship.
She said the scheme had direct and indirect benefits for the Nigerian economy via the enhancement of human capabilities, likely moderation in social restiveness and improvement in employability of fresh graduates.
“This initiative anchors on the conviction that Africa’s growth requires a generation of skillful and highly productive young people as the youth accounts for sizeable proportion of Africa’s population,” she said.
According to her, the LCCI sees the initiative as an avenue for fresh graduates to acquire relevant skills and gain practical experience in their chosen profession.
She said that ‘The Future Awards Internship Programme’ would equip young graduates and make them employable in the job market.
In his remarks, Founding Partner, The Future Project, Mr Adebola Williams, said the internship would provide 1,000 Nigerians an opportunity to be closer to their dreams.
Williams said that the scheme was mandated to provide the bridge to enable employable youths gain quality, practical experience for a better future and societal outcome.
“The FAIP creates a multidiscipline avenue and opportunity for young people to have real and quality experience.
“There is nothing more powerful than the hopeful and empowered human being, as that person can do anything and Nigerians are unrepentantly hopeful.
“We are looking to train 1,000 youths between now and 2023, and with talent and hard work, great achievement is sure.
“We are also open to partnerships and applications by companies willing to adopt interns,” he said.
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The Federal Government has approved a whooping $1bn credit facility to support Nigerian exporters and small scale businesses to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in order to boost production, competitiveness and intra-African trade.
The $1bn AfCFTA Adjustment Fund Credit Facility is also expected to address some of the financing gap being faced by Nigerian exporters and enhance the competitiveness of African businesses within the continental market.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, disclosed this during the second quarter 2026 meeting of the AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee held in Abuja.
According to a statement issued by the ministry’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Obilor-Duru Okechi, Oduwole said the financing facility represented a major opportunity for Nigerian businesses seeking to expand operations, modernise production processes and increase exports to African markets.
The statement partly read, “?The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating Nigeria’s export-led growth agenda under the African Continental Free Trade Area, unveiling opportunities for businesses to access a US$1 billion AfCFTA Adjustment Fund Credit Facility aimed at boosting production, competitiveness, and intra-African trade.”
She noted that despite the progress Nigeria had made in implementing the continental trade agreement, many local businesses continued to face obstacles that limited their ability to take advantage of the single African market.
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“Many businesses still face challenges relating to export documentation, certification, standards compliance and market access,” the minister said.
She explained that the Federal Government was addressing these bottlenecks through enhanced trade facilitation measures, simplified AfCFTA guidance tools, stakeholder engagement programmes and stronger collaboration with institutions such as the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council.
Oduwole stressed the need to strengthen Nigeria’s legal and regulatory framework by domesticating key AfCFTA protocols, particularly the Digital Trade Protocol, to position the country as a major player in Africa’s growing digital economy.
The minister also highlighted some of the gains recorded in Nigeria’s AfCFTA implementation efforts.
According to her, the expansion of Nigeria’s Air Cargo Corridor Initiative to Rwanda, increased collaboration with development partners and private sector players, as well as sustained engagement with state governments, were helping to deepen awareness and participation in the continental market.
In her welcome address and first-quarter update, the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, Mrs Patience Okala, provided details of the financing initiative.
Okala said the $1bn AfCFTA Adjustment Fund Credit Facility was targeted at large African businesses with a minimum financing capacity of $10m.
She revealed that the National AfCFTA Coordination Office was working closely with fund managers to facilitate access for eligible Nigerian companies and had begun assembling a pilot group of businesses to ensure that Nigeria maximised the opportunities provided by the facility.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has advised Nigerians against boarding boats that require constant bailing of water in the interest of their safety.
NIWA Area Manager for Cross River and Ebonyi, Mr Stanley Onuoha gave this warning in an interview with Newsmen in Calabar.
Onuoha who spoke on waterway
safety, said that passengers should take responsibility for their safety by inspecting boats before embarking on any journey.
According to him, repeated scooping of water from a boat is a clear indication that the vessel may be leaking.
“If you are entering a boat and see people using a bailer to remove water, it is the first signal that the boat is leaking,” he said.
He urged passengers to check the integrity of boats, including seating arrangements and other visible safety features.
The Manager restated the importance of using safety jackets, saying that damaged jackets may fail during emergencies.
He further said that passengers should ensure that safety jackets were appropriate for their body sizes in order to guarantee effective flotation.
Onuoha reiterated the need for passengers to fill manifests before departure to aid accountability during emergencies.
The NIWA official further advised travellers to monitor weather conditions and avoid boarding boats when the weather is unfavourable.
According to him, poor weather conditions can trigger strong tidal waves capable of affecting small boats commonly used on inland waterways.
He said that waterway journeys should be embarked upon between 6.00a.m and 6.00p.m for clearer visibility.
Onuoha said the Authority had continued to sensitise riverine communities to the need for safety precautions during waterway journeys.
He stated that sustained awareness campaigns and enforcement measures had contributed to safety waterway safety in Cross River.
CHINEDU WOSU