Nigeria to empower 200 Oyo youths with vocational training and tools

The Nigerian Federal Government is launching a vocational empowerment programme for 200 youths in Oyo State through the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS). Organized by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education (OSSAP-TVEE), the training is scheduled to run from September 28 to October 9, 2026.

Participants will receive training in three specific tracks: Graphics and Artificial Intelligence (AI), Makeup, and Fashion Designing. To facilitate the transition to entrepreneurship, beneficiaries will be provided with professional starter kits. Graphics and AI trainees will receive laptops, makeup trainees will get fully equipped kits, and fashion design trainees will receive sewing machines and related tools.

This Oyo State initiative serves as the first phase of a broader plan to replicate the programme across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. Additionally, as part of a digital empowerment drive, the government intends to distribute 500 tablets to young Nigerians during the programme’s graduation ceremony on October 9.