The Federal Government on Thursday said it is targeting the engagement of at least 20,000 young Nigerians annually through the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) as part of efforts to tackle youth unemployment.

The government also noted that selected fellows receive a monthly stipend of N150,000 for one year while gaining hands-on workplace experience.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Delivery and Coordination, Akubo Adegbe, disclosed this in Abuja, at the NJFP 2.0 Abuja Job Fair, themed “Building a National Workforce for the Future.”

Adegbe said the government was working to ensure the sustainability of the programme beyond its current funding cycle through the establishment of a basket fund that would attract contributions from the Federal Government, state governments and development partners.

Stakeholders at the event, said the initiative represents a significant step towards addressing Nigeria’s workforce transition challenges, with more than 600,000 graduates entering the labour market annually amid concerns over youth unemployment and workplace readiness.

He said: “This programme is designed to be sustainable. The goal is to engage at least 20,000 young people annually and make the initiative sustainable over time. Beyond being just a programme, the government is working with partners to establish what we call a basket fund.

“This fund will receive contributions from the Federal Government, state governments and development partners to ensure the programme continues beyond the current intervention supported by the European Union.”

The Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme, a flagship youth employability initiative of the Federal Government, is funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

According to Adegbe, the programme was designed to address the disconnect between education and the workplace by providing graduates with practical skills, work experience and pathways to employment.

He explained that employers frequently cite the lack of workplace experience among graduates as a barrier to recruitment, a challenge the fellowship programme seeks to overcome.

He added: “The NJFP has been designed to address a fundamental problem that we have as a nation – the bridge between school and the workplace. The government remains committed to this programme because we must continue to bridge that gap and create opportunities for our young people.

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“The Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme, at its core, is designed to solve a work-placement problem. Employers often say that our young people do not have the skills they require. What we have done is create a programme that gives young people the opportunity to learn skills in a workplace environment, making them employable, whether in the same organisation, another organisation or through entrepreneurship.

“We want to bridge the gap between education and the workplace. Apart from the skills and job opportunities it provides, the programme also gives young people a monthly stipend of N150,000 for 12 months, which helps address their livelihood needs.”

In remarks, the Senior Economics Adviser to the UNDP Nigeria Resident Representative, Tony Muhumuza, described the event as a talent marketplace designed to connect employers with vetted and work-ready graduates.

He said: “This is not just a placement drive; we are building Nigeria’s workforce. Over two days, we aim to engage up to 500 host organisations and move up to 1,300 fellows into active placement.”

Also speaking, Head of Inclusive Growth at UNDP Nigeria and NJFP Programme Lead, Clare Henshaw, said more than 500 employers and about 1,500 fellows participated in the Abuja job fair.

She expressed optimism that the event would lead to widespread placements, noting that fellows had undergone extensive screening, including CBT examinations and psychometric assessments.

Henshaw said: “Our expectation is that all 1,500 fellows participating in this event will secure placements and begin work as early as next week.”

She added that UNDP had put in place monitoring and accountability mechanisms, including attendance verification, employer reporting requirements and spot checks, to ensure that the objectives of the programme are achieved.

The job fair featured workforce briefings, employer orientation sessions, direct interviews and structured matching opportunities across sectors such as technology, healthcare, agriculture, education, engineering, government and development, business services, and environment and energy.

The NJFP 2.0 Abuja Job Fair brought together employers, government institutions, development partners and young professionals in a bid to expand employment pathways, strengthen workforce readiness and support inclusive economic growth.

(The Guardian)

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