A senior Nigerian government representative used a keynote address at the 2026 First Working Meeting of the China Africa TVET Cooperation Programme and China Africa MOOC Platform Quality Development to press for deeper skills partnerships between the two regions.
The Nigerian delegate told the gathering that the country’s national development plan and Renewed Hope Agenda place technical and vocational education at the centre of economic transformation across manufacturing, agriculture, construction, renewable energy, ICT and the creative industries, stressing that Nigeria needs welders, coders, agro processors and engineers to build its future workforce.
Citing Sustainable Development Goal Four, which calls for a sharp increase in youth with skills for employment and entrepreneurship, the representative called for joint TVET institutions, shared curriculum development, teacher exchanges and apprenticeship programmes tailored to Nigeria’s and Africa’s industrial needs rather than classroom theory alone.
The delegate said future cooperation under the Forum on China Africa Cooperation must be guided by three principles, relevance, scale and sustainability, arguing that while China brings technology, investment and experience, Africa’s young population brings energy, innovation and a workforce ready to build.
The meeting forms part of ongoing efforts to align skills training programmes across the continent with the demands of industry rather than academic theory.
By Asiwaju Adekunle Saheed
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