Industrial training fund ITF has said the recently unveiled 5-year national development plan (2021-2025) of the federal government is expected to cost 381 trillion Naira to implement.
Joseph Ari the Director-General of the fund also said, the plan which is expected to replace the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (EGRP) is projected to create 21 million jobs, with the aim of lifting 35 million Nigerians out of poverty, providing them with affordable housing and which is also geared towards promoting an export-led economy.
He stated this in Jos, at a media forum organized by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union Journalists, Plateau State.
The 5-year National Development Plan, according to Sir Ari has six focal areas – economic growth and development, infrastructure, public administration, human capital development, social development and regional development.
“As the leading human capital development institution in Nigeria, the ITF is also equipping Nigerians with technical skills acquisition as an enduring solution to the spate of unemployment in the country.”
DG Ari further observed that Nigerians were averse to skills acquisition, but insists, that skills acquisition could create more jobs and reduce to the barest minimum the issue of unemployment confronting the nation.
He then lamented that daily, reports of acts of criminality that could only have been imagined some few years back amongst other numerous usual challenges that are confronting Nigeria, further stressing that it’s throwing grave challenges and to overcome the challenges, Nations are devising strategies to reduce unemployment, poverty, increased social inclusion and other initiatives which the ITF is striving hard to achieve.
“It was perhaps in response to these threats and other considerations that the Federal Government recently unveiled the 5-year National Development Plan (2021-2025) to replace the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (EGRP). The plan, which projects the creation of 21 million jobs, with 35 million Nigerians lifted out of poverty, affordable housing for Nigerians and an export-led economy among others.
“We have commenced the process of repositioning our programmes and activities to effectively prepare the Nation’s workforce in line with our mandate of developing a pool of qualified Nigerians to man the public and private sectors of the national economy as we believe that for this plan to succeed, all Nigerians as individual citizens and as institutions must contribute their bit”
He was full of appreciation to the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration for finding him worthy for reappointment and added that with the media support, as usual, the organization will not disappoint the President and the country at large.
