The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, has initiated a comprehensive reform of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to strengthen its capacity as a regulator and strategic driver of Nigeria’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system.
The reform is aimed at improving the Board’s institutional effectiveness, governance and operational capacity, while enhancing its ability to regulate, coordinate and support polytechnics, monotechnics and other technical institutions in line with Nigeria’s economic and workforce priorities.
In a statement by the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, the Federal Ministry of Education disclosed that it had engaged KPMG Advisory Services to conduct a comprehensive institutional assessment of the NBTE and develop a future focused organisational structure, governance model and operating framework.
Alausa said the engagement reflects the Ministry’s commitment to ensuring that institutions responsible for technical education are properly structured, adequately resourced and equipped to lead the country’s skills development agenda.
“The success of Nigeria’s TVET reforms depends not only on curriculum and infrastructure, but also on the strength and effectiveness of the institutions responsible for implementation and oversight,” the Minister said.»
He said a stronger NBTE would be critical to achieving the objectives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly the development of a skilled, productive and globally competitive workforce capable of supporting industrialisation, innovation and sustainable economic growth.
According to him, the exercise goes beyond administrative restructuring, representing a strategic effort to make the Board more agile, modern and fit for purpose.
The assessment will examine gaps and opportunities in governance, organisational design, operating processes, workforce capacity and service delivery.
Its recommendations are expected to improve effectiveness, accountability and institutional impact.
The resulting transformation roadmap will provide a framework for aligning the NBTE’s structure and operations with its statutory responsibilities and the Federal Government’s broader TVET reform agenda.
Alausa also stressed the importance of polytechnic education within the national TVET system, noting that it must focus on skills acquisition, employability, innovation and enterprise development.
“Technical and vocational education is fundamentally about skills. Everything within the polytechnic system is ultimately geared towards developing competencies that create pathways to employment, entrepreneurship, and productivity,” he said.»
He said the principle is also guiding the ongoing review of polytechnic curricula and development of National Occupational Standards (NOS) to ensure training remains relevant to industry requirements, technological developments and emerging economic opportunities.
The curriculum modernisation programme, supported by a ₦1 billion intervention from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), has produced 27 new National Occupational Standards and revised four existing ones, bringing the total number of reviewed standards to 31.
The standards are designed to establish an integrated skills development pathway covering artisan level training, National Certificates, Ordinary National Diploma (OND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes.
The Minister said the reforms would help ensure that graduates acquire practical and market relevant skills that improve employability, encourage entrepreneurship and boost productivity.
Providing an industry perspective, Oluwole Adelokun, Partner, Strategy and Customer Solutions at KPMG Africa and KPMG in Nigeria, said the firm’s assessment identified significant structural challenges within Nigeria’s TVET system, as well as opportunities that could be unlocked through targeted reforms and institutional strengthening.
Adelokun noted that about 93 per cent of Nigeria’s workforce operates in the informal economy, while nearly 12 per cent of young people are not in education, employment or skills training, highlighting the need for a more inclusive and responsive skills development system.
Despite these challenges, he said Nigeria performs strongly in the employability of TVET graduates, ranking second only to Singapore among the countries assessed. He said the finding demonstrates the potential of the sector to produce industry ready talent capable of meeting labour market needs.
He identified curriculum modernisation as another major priority, noting that more than 55 per cent of assessed curricula in areas including engineering, science, arts and design are outdated.
According to him, funding constraints and the existing five year curriculum review cycle have limited the responsiveness of programmes, although he cited the recent revision of the agriculture curriculum as a positive development.
Responding to the findings, Alausa said the KPMG assessment, together with ongoing curriculum and skills development reforms, would provide a strong foundation for repositioning the NBTE as a more effective catalyst for technical and vocational education.
He said a restructured Board would be better equipped to strengthen institutional oversight, improve quality assurance and accountability, deepen collaboration with industry and ensure that technical education responds to changing workforce and economic demands.
The Minister reaffirmed the Federal Ministry of Education’s commitment to a TVET system anchored on industry relevance, practical competence, innovation, employability and productivity.
«“The ultimate objective is to build a more agile, effective, and future-ready institution capable of delivering on its mandate and supporting the realization of President Tinubu’s vision of a highly skilled, productive, and globally competitive Nigerian workforce,” he said.
