By Julius Peter, Abuja
The Director-General of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Mr Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, has emphasised the need for strategic investment in skills development and human capital to accelerate Nigeria’s industrial transformation and ensure that qualified Nigerians are available to fill employment opportunities across the country.
Osanipin stated this at the National Industrial Manpower Summit 2026, themed “Unlocking Nigeria’s Human Capital for Industrial Transformation: Building Skills, Driving Innovation and Creating Prosperity.”
He explained that the summit was organised to bring together policymakers, industrialists, representatives of the organised private sector, academics and relevant government agencies to assess Nigeria’s industrial development and identify the skills required to strengthen the country’s productive capacity.
According to him, industrial development goes beyond providing infrastructure, machinery and modern equipment, stressing that a sustainable industrial sector depends largely on the availability of competent and well-trained personnel capable of operating, maintaining and improving industrial systems.
He noted that even with the increasing adoption of automation and robotics, skilled human resources would remain indispensable because trained personnel are required to operate, manage and maintain such technologies.
“Even if you bring robots, somebody will operate the robots. It means you need to have the required skills in order to develop the industry,” he said.
The NADDC boss maintained that Nigeria must prioritise human capital development alongside investments in infrastructure and technology if the country hopes to build a competitive industrial sector capable of creating sustainable employment and contributing significantly to economic growth.
He described the summit as an important platform for identifying existing skills gaps, examining the challenges confronting industrial manpower development and developing practical strategies to bridge the gaps.
Osanipin said bringing the relevant stakeholders together would enable government institutions, training organisations, industries and academic institutions to harmonise their efforts towards producing a workforce that meets the changing needs of the Nigerian economy.
He explained that discussions at the summit were expected to address issues such as professional certification, the development of instructional manuals and the establishment of appropriate training standards to ensure that Nigerians acquire the practical knowledge and qualifications required by employers.
According to him, effective collaboration among the participating institutions would help establish a more coordinated approach to technical and vocational education, industrial training and workforce development.
He stressed that Nigeria needed not only people with academic qualifications but also individuals with the practical competencies required to operate effectively in different industrial environments.
The NADDC director-general added that the country must ensure that training programmes are relevant to the actual needs of industries so that employers can readily access competent workers while young Nigerians are equipped with skills that improve their chances of securing meaningful employment.
Speaking on the contributions of his agency to technical manpower development, Osanipin disclosed that the NADDC had concluded the establishment of the National Automotive Institute, an initiative aimed at strengthening technical skills and developing qualified personnel for Nigeria’s automotive industry.
He explained that the institute was designed to support the production of appropriately trained manpower with the relevant competencies and qualifications needed to meet the demands of the automotive sector.
According to him, the initiative would help prepare Nigerian youths for employment by equipping them with specialised technical skills required in an industry increasingly shaped by technological innovation and changing production methods.
He said the development of the automotive industry required a steady supply of skilled technicians and other technical professionals who could contribute to vehicle production, servicing, maintenance and other areas of automotive technology.
Osanipin expressed optimism that the institute would help improve the employability of Nigerian youths while creating opportunities for them to offer their skills beyond the country’s borders.
He said the long-term objective was not merely to prepare Nigerians for jobs within the domestic market but also to develop a workforce whose technical expertise could compete internationally, particularly across African countries.
According to him, properly trained Nigerian technicians and other automotive professionals could contribute to the development of the automotive industry across the continent, creating opportunities for skills export and regional cooperation.
He stressed that building a strong technical workforce would be essential to positioning Nigeria as a major player in Africa’s automotive and industrial development.
The NADDC chief also highlighted the importance of ensuring that skills development initiatives are inclusive, with particular attention given to youths and women.
He said the summit provided an opportunity for government agencies and other stakeholders to explain the programmes they were implementing to expand access to technical training and ensure that different segments of society benefited from industrial development.
Osanipin noted that developing Nigeria’s human capital required a collective effort involving government institutions, private-sector organisations, educational institutions and other stakeholders.
He emphasised that no single agency could independently address the country’s manpower challenges, adding that coordinated action would be necessary to ensure that training programmes reached those who needed them most.
According to him, empowering young people and women with practical, market-relevant skills would improve their participation in the economy, strengthen their capacity to become self-reliant and create pathways to employment and entrepreneurship.
He said the government’s commitment to skills development was aimed at ensuring that Nigerians were adequately prepared to take advantage of available employment opportunities.
Osanipin explained that the existence of jobs alone was not enough to guarantee economic progress, noting that employers must also have access to qualified personnel capable of performing the required tasks.
“It is one thing for us to have jobs, and it is another thing to have the competent hands to fill those jobs,” he said.
He added that the government and relevant institutions were working towards ensuring that Nigerian workers acquired the necessary skills to meet employers’ expectations and support the expansion of industries across the country.
The NADDC director-general’s remarks underscored the importance of closing the gap between the skills acquired through education and training and the competencies demanded by employers.
As Nigeria seeks to expand its industrial base, the availability of a skilled workforce remains an important consideration for investors, manufacturers and businesses looking to increase production and improve operational efficiency.
The summit therefore provided an opportunity for stakeholders to examine how training institutions could work more closely with industries to identify emerging skills requirements and design programmes that respond to those needs.
The discussions on certification and instructional materials also highlighted the need for appropriate training standards that can support consistency in skills acquisition and help employers assess the competencies of prospective workers.
For the automotive sector, the establishment of specialised training institutions such as the National Automotive Institute represents an effort to develop technical expertise that can support the industry’s changing requirements.
With technological developments continuing to influence manufacturing and other productive sectors, Nigeria’s ability to develop and retain a competent workforce will be critical to improving industrial performance and expanding employment opportunities.
Osanipin maintained that the success of industrial development initiatives would depend not only on the provision of physical assets but also on the ability of Nigerians to use those assets productively.
He called for sustained cooperation among government agencies, industries, training institutions and other stakeholders to ensure that skills development programmes translated into practical benefits for the economy.
He expressed confidence that initiatives aimed at equipping young Nigerians and other members of the workforce with relevant technical competencies would contribute to employment generation and strengthen the country’s industrial capacity.
The National Industrial Manpower Summit 2026 brought together stakeholders from different sectors to deliberate on strategies for unlocking Nigeria’s human capital, promoting innovation, strengthening technical education and building a workforce capable of supporting sustainable industrial transformation.
The summit’s central message was that Nigeria’s industrial future depends not only on investments in infrastructure and modern technology but also on developing the skilled, competent and adaptable people needed to operate, maintain and advance them.
