By Golok Nanmwa
JOS – The Director-General and Chief Executive of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Dr Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun, has credited the policies and programmes of President Bola Tinubu’s administration with facilitating the growth of the Fund.
Ogun made this known on Thursday in Jos while addressing staff and stakeholders at the celebration of the ITF’s 55th anniversary and his third year in office as Director-General.
He called on Nigerians and stakeholders to continue supporting the Federal Government’s efforts to develop the country’s human capital and strengthen the economy.
The ITF boss also disclosed that the Fund had targeted another 200,000 artisans for training in 2026 under its Skill-Up Artisans (SUPA) programme.
According to him, the target is part of efforts to train, retrain, standardise, certify and professionalise artisanal practice in Nigeria.
Ogun said, “I will not conclude my address without acknowledging and appreciating the vision and foresight of our founding fathers; the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for initiating policies and programmes that facilitated our growth.”
He said the ITF had, under his leadership, pursued a transformation agenda aimed at repositioning the Fund as a leading institution for skills development, workforce enhancement and national economic growth.
According to him, the Fund had expanded its reach, strengthened strategic partnerships with local and international institutions, introduced global standards in vocational education and skills certification, and accelerated digital transformation.
Ogun disclosed that the SUPA programme had trained hundreds of thousands of artisans in its first three phases, while more than 7,000 artisans had undergone international certification examinations.
“Another 200,000 are targeted for training in 2026,” he said.
The ITF DG said the Fund had also moved away from the traditional starter-pack approach to three sustainable exit pathways: the Talent Export Pathway, Industry Placement Pathway and Business Incubation Pathway.
He explained that the pathways were designed to create long-term opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.
Ogun further disclosed that the Fund had assessed 1,308 training centres nationwide and approved 776 of them as part of efforts to improve access to quality vocational and technical training.
He said the ITF had also entered into partnerships with institutions, including City & Guilds of the United Kingdom, Japan’s METI and AOTS, Alberk QA Technic of Turkey and ASQ Solutions UK, to strengthen skills development and certification.
According to him, Nigeria’s admission as the 83rd member of WorldSkills International and the establishment of the WorldSkills Academy in Abuja were among the initiatives aimed at positioning Nigerian artisans and technical professionals for global opportunities.
Ogun urged ITF staff to remain committed to the Fund’s mandate and support the government’s human capital development agenda.
“As we move into this new phase in the Fund’s history, I urge us to continue to imbibe and exhibit our core values of Integrity, Efficiency and Effectiveness, Commitment, Loyalty, Teamwork, Professionalism and Creativity,” he said.
He added that the organisation would continue to work with stakeholders to develop the skills required to drive Nigeria’s industrial growth.
The ITF boss said the ultimate objective was to build an institution capable of competing favourably with learning and development agencies globally while contributing to the growth of Nigeria’s economy.
He said the Fund would continue to count on the support and commitment of stakeholders as it moved towards its Diamond Jubilee.
