Vice President Kashim Shettima has assumed the chairmanship of the reactivated Board of Generation Unlimited (GenU) Nigeria, unveiling a national skills programme aimed at connecting 20 million young Nigerians to jobs, training, and entrepreneurship opportunities by 2030. Speaking during the inaugural board meeting in Abuja, which coincided with International Youth Day 2025, Shettima stressed that at least 60 percent of the beneficiaries will be women, describing Nigeria’s youthful population as the nation’s “superpower” in a rapidly ageing world.
Shettima highlighted the challenges in Nigeria’s skills ecosystem, noting the disconnect between training and livelihoods, as well as inadequate infrastructure for large-scale learning. He announced the Digital Access and Livelihoods Initiative (DALI) as the centrepiece of the programme, designed to unify government, private sector, and development partners under a demand-driven national talent pipeline that aligns with the National Skills Qualification Framework. He urged stakeholders to commit to systemic change rather than isolated training schemes.
Partners including UNICEF, Microsoft, Airtel, MTN, Jobberman, and Unilever pledged to support the initiative, building on GenU Nigeria’s past successes that have already reached over 10 million youths. The platform will focus on digital education, green jobs, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement, with the government emphasising that the programme is a turning point in addressing youth unemployment and unlocking Nigeria’s creative and entrepreneurial potential.
