The Federal Government has declared open applications for the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) 2.0, in a bid to create 20,000 jobs annually.

Dada Olusegun, the Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, disclosed this on Thursday via a post on his official X account.

“In line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to create jobs and empower young Nigerians, the Federal Government has flagged off the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) 2.0, targeting the creation of 20,000 jobs annually,” Olusegun said.

Vice President Kashim Shettima had inaugurated the Project Steering Committee at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday ahead of the official launch, reaffirming the administration’s commitment to youth empowerment, job creation, and inclusive economic growth.

“The Nigerian government has concluded plans to invest $220 million in creating employment opportunities for young Nigerians,” Shettima said while addressing the audience at the official launch of the program.

The VP added that the initiative is to be spearheaded in collaboration with the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the second phase of the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme 2.0 aimed at connecting high-potential graduates with real-world work experience, training, and mentorship.

Speaking further, VP Shettima said that the initiative will target 20,000 jobs annually under its new phase.

“It is implemented in partnership with UNDP and funded by the European Union. Over 14,000 young Nigerians have benefited from the first phase’s 12-month paid fellowships,” Shettima said.

The initiative will help to bridge the transition gap between learning and earning through real work placements, mentorship, and training.

According to the VP, the Federal Government has plans to deploy 24,000 fellows over the next 10 months across key sectors such as agriculture, digital tech, renewable energy, manufacturing, and the creative industries.

It seeks to address the unemployment challenge by connecting talented Nigerian graduates with job placement opportunities in Host Organizations across the country— offering experience, building skills, and preparing the workforce of the future.

The Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) is uniquely positioned to: Empower professional by aligning their skills with labour market needs through data-driven talent intelligence making them competitive for the Labor market and address structural barriers of Employers Drive coordination mechanism of stakeholders towards a sustainable talent and youth employability ecosystem.

The administration of President Tinubu has always spoken of its desire to reduce the level of poverty in Nigeria by creating job opportunities for the citizens.

For those interested, they have been directed to apply via the official website of the initiative, www.njfp.ng. (The Guardian)