Director-General/Chief Executive Industrial Training Fund, Sir Joseph N. Ari flanked by House of Representatives committee on industry who are in Plateau State for an oversight function.


By Daniel Dauda, Jos


The Director-General, Chief executive of industrial training fund (ITF), Sir Joseph Ari stated that the organization were been able to trained over 25 million Nigerians on various skills acquisition programmes within 49 years of  existence.

Ari said the key mandate of the ITF as enshrined in the Act is the provision of skilled manpower sufficient to meet the needs of the public and private sectors of the Nigerian economy.

The ITF DG made this known when the House of Representatives committee on industry, led by their Chairman Hon. Enitan Baderu went for an oversight function at ITF headquarters on Tuesday in Jos the state capital.

According to him: "despite the enormity of the Mandate, I am pleased to note that the ITF has discharged it with great successes by training over 25 million Nigerians that are manning key sectors of the national economy in its 49-year history.

" Since the assumption of the incumbent Management in the ITF in 2016, our commitment to equipping Nigerians with technical skills for employability and entrepreneurship has never wavered.

" Our emphasis on skills acquisition has been premised on our firm belief that it remains the most sustainable solution to increasing poverty and unemployment, and the catalyst to economic growth and development.

" Therefore, in 2020 and despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented the following skills intervention programmes: the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), Special Skills Development Programme (SSDP), Federal Government Skills Empowerment Programme (FEGOSEP), Info-Tech Skills Empowerment Programme (ISEP), and Agri-Preneurship Training Programme (ATP).

 "Together, the programmes trained thousands of Nigerians that were empowered with start-up packs for them to set up on their own. In addition, the ITF upgraded facilities at its Industrial Skills Training Centres (ISTCs) and the Model Skills Training Centre (MSTC), Abuja leading to the equipping of thousands of Nigerians with technical skills for employability and entrepreneurship", Ari mentioned.

He also revealed that a total of Five Billion, Four Hundred and Ninety-Nine Million, Eight Hundred and Twenty One Thousand, Six Hundred and Forty-Five Naira, Twenty Seven Kobo (N5,499,821,645.27) was paid to 401 companies as reimbursement for year 2019.

Chairman House of Representatives committee on industry, Hon. Enitan Baderu commended the ITF outstanding achievements for the growth and development of Nigeria economy.

He said the amendment of ITF Act is very key to assess the capacity and capability of the fund.