The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has inaugurated the online registration portal for the third phase of the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative (RHEI).

The programme aims to train 26,961 unemployed Nigerians nationwide, even as many beneficiaries from the previous phase have yet to receive their stipends and resettlement packages.

Director-General of the NDE, Silas Agara, who unveiled the portal in Abuja recently, disclosed that the agency was unable to complete payments to beneficiaries of Phase II because the 2025 capital budget, which provides for the programme, had yet to be released.

According to him, 33,692 Nigerians were trained under Phase II of the initiative, but none have been resettled, while outstanding stipends remain unpaid to 4,651 trainees.

“The resettlement of trained beneficiaries and the payment of all outstanding stipends remain a top priority for this Directorate. The moment the 2025 Capital Budget is released, we will move immediately to clear every outstanding obligation,” Agara said.

Despite the funding constraints, the NDE said it would proceed with Phase III to provide new opportunities for unemployed Nigerians.

Under the new phase, 26,961 beneficiaries will receive training in 70 demand-driven skills covering agriculture, entrepreneurship, ICT, vocational trades and special public works.

The agency also plans to resettle 3,405 outstanding graduate trainees with starter packs and work tools after completing the programme.

Agara said the online registration system had been upgraded to improve transparency and eliminate abuses that characterised previous exercises.

The portal now requires applicants to authenticate their identities with their National Identification Number (NIN), automatically assigns applicants to the nearest training centre, blocks multiple registrations and includes provisions for persons with disabilities by matching them with appropriate training programmes.

He added that beneficiaries of the first and second phases would not be eligible to apply again, saying the measure was intended to ensure wider access to the programme.

According to the NDE, nationwide training under the third phase is scheduled to begin in August after the close of registration.

Providing an update on the programme’s performance, Agara said the first phase, implemented in 2024, trained 32,886 unemployed Nigerians, while 4,683 beneficiaries were resettled with business start-up support.

He acknowledged that fiscal constraints had slowed implementation but insisted the agency remained committed to expanding employment opportunities under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The Director-General also disclosed that the NDE had developed a five-year strategic plan, with technical and financial support from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the German development agency (GIZ), to strengthen employment creation over the next five years.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, commended the NDE for adopting a ward-by-ward beneficiary selection process, describing it as an inclusive strategy aimed at taking employment opportunities to every community across the country.

The Minister acknowledged the funding challenges affecting the programme and assured beneficiaries that the ministry was working with relevant authorities to secure the release of outstanding funds.

He also pledged Federal Government support to upgrade NDE skills acquisition centres nationwide and provide funding for the completion of the agency’s new corporate headquarters.

Dingyadi urged prospective beneficiaries to comply with the programme’s guidelines and to take advantage of the opportunity to acquire marketable skills that can improve their livelihoods.

The Renewed Hope Employment Initiative is one of the Federal Government’s flagship skills acquisition and job creation programmes aimed at tackling unemployment through vocational training, entrepreneurship development, agriculture, ICT and public works. (The Guardian)

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