ABUJA, FCT– The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has participated in a tactical decade-long partnership with the Building and construction Craftsmen Training School (FELINES) to equip one million Nigerian youths with expert building abilities.
The cooperation was formalized in Abuja on Monday, March 16, 2026, with the finalizing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the enthusiastic “Project 1 Million Construction Craftsmen Training Vision 2036.”
The initiative is designed to bridge the widening abilities gap in Nigeria’s building and civil engineering sectors while offering a sustainable path to entrepreneurship for the nation’s blossoming youth population.
Under the terms of the MoU, the training will be provided free of charge to all certified participants. The program is completely moneyed by CATS and its consortium of partners, removing the financial barriers that frequently prevent susceptible youths from accessing high-quality occupation education.
Task Lead of Felines, Dr. Olayemi Rotimi-Shodimu, explained the collaboration as a game-changer. He kept in mind that Nigeria’s building and construction sector is growing rapidly, yet it remains greatly reliant on artisanal labor that often does not have official accreditation and contemporary technical knowledge.
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By standardizing training through this collaboration, the project intends to ensure that Nigerian craftsmens can complete internationally and manage complicated infrastructure jobs typically reserved for foreign companies.
The Director-General of NDE, Silas Agara, stressed that the effort directly aligns with the firm’s required to suppress joblessness.
He highlighted the ripple effect of the program, keeping in mind that for every master artisan trained, several indirect jobs are created in the supply chain.
“Equipping youths with useful abilities contributes to economic growth and social stability,” Agara specified. He included that the program is a proactive step to lower youth involvement in criminal offense and drug abuse by providing a dignified and rewarding ways of income.
The launch of Vision 2036 marks among the biggest vocational interventions in West Africa, placing the construction industry as a primary engine for Nigeria’s financial program.