The federal government has announced plans to lift five million young Nigerians out of poverty through its skills acquisition and empowerment programmes aimed at promoting self-reliance and entrepreneurship, according to THISDAYLIVE. The initiative follows a similar programme by the government that aims to train 300,000 young Nigerians under the iDICE (Digital Innovation Commercialisation Ecosystem) programme, as reported by Techpoint Africa. According to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, the skills acquisition programmes are part of efforts to address poverty and unemployment in Nigeria. “The federal government is committed to creating job opportunities and reducing unemployment among our youths through various initiatives,” he said. The details of the implementation of these programmes have not been disclosed yet, but the Minister has assured that more information will be made available soon. It remains unclear if this initiative will address the long-term structural issues underlying poverty in Nigeria, or if it is merely a short-term solution to alleviate immediate hardships.
Sources:
– Deji Elumoye (THISDAYLIVE), ‘Presidency: Govt Set to Lift 5m Nigerians Out of Poverty Skills Acquisition Platforms’ (2026-09-29T02:37:17+00:00)
– Techpoint Africa, ‘Federal Government Rolls Out the largest Skills-to-Jobs Initiative in Nigeria’s History, Targeting 300,000 Young Nigerians through the iDICE programme’ (2026-09-28T18:13:00+00:00)







