The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said on Thursday many youths in Nigeria are currently unemployed because of lack of functional skills.

The minister stated this at a one-day trade Job, Career and Employability Fair in Abuja.

The fair was organised by the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Ngige, who was represented at the forum by the Senior Special Assistant on Job Creation to the President, Mrs. Tilda Mmegwa, urged stakeholders to be actively involved in preparing the African workforce for future challenges.

He stressed that the Nigerian government was conscious of the fact that most of the unemployed people in the country are without functional skills.

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The minister said: “Our strategy, therefore, is to equip the unemployed youths with market-driven skills, which will facilitate their access to self or paid employment.

“In recognition of this reality, my ministry is keenly committed to equipping unemployed graduates with entry point competences to make them employable.

“I am therefore happy to inform you that my ministry is scheduled to train 37,000 unemployed graduates, 1,000 in each of the states of the federation and FCT, on soft skills and marketable resumes.

“In the coming months, we will also train 3,500 unemployed youth in various vocations including fashion design, catering and event management, solar panel and CCTV installation, among others.”

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