The Federal Government has approved N3.6 billion to support tailors under the Industrial Training Fund’s Skill Up Artisans (SUPA) Programme as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s informal sector, create jobs and improve the skills of artisans.
The Director-General and Chief Executive of the Industrial Training Fund, Afiz Ogun, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during the nationwide screening of applicants for the 2026 edition of the programme.
Ogun said the screening exercise was intended to ensure that only genuine artisans benefited from the initiative. He added that successful applicants would either be prepared for overseas employment opportunities, linked with employers or enrolled in a structured business incubation programme.
“For this year, we are incubating businesses for tailors because they constitute a large number of participants. The President has approved N3.6 billion for this initiative,” he said.
According to Ogun, the screening process goes beyond verifying documents and is designed to assess applicants’ skills, commitment and readiness for training.
“We are screening them because some people will say they are artisans, but they are not artisans. Some people just want to come and collect the Federal Government money and go. They will not participate in the training. We want real artisans who are ready to scale up and improve their skills,” he said.
He said the exercise marks the first phase of the 2026 SUPA programme, with about 200,000 artisans expected to benefit nationwide.
Ogun said the ITF had trained hundreds of thousands of artisans since the programme was launched in 2024, describing SUPA as one of President Bola Tinubu’s flagship initiatives aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s technical and vocational workforce.
He said the programme was conceived after the President observed the growing presence of foreign artisans in Nigeria’s informal economy.
According to Ogun, artisans from neighbouring African countries, as well as Bangladesh, Pakistan and China, have increasingly filled roles that could be undertaken by Nigerians.
He said the programme seeks to formalise the informal technical sector by registering artisans, issuing both local and internationally recognised certifications, and introducing a licensing system to improve professionalism and accountability.
“The President wants Nigerian artisans to be trained, certified and licensed. When you engage a plumber or an electrician, you should be able to verify the person’s credentials, track performance and hold them accountable. This will improve service quality and create confidence in the sector,” he said.
Ogun added that the screening exercise was being conducted simultaneously across the country’s senatorial districts, with multiple centres established in some districts to accommodate applicants.
On post-training support, he said the government had discontinued the immediate distribution of starter packs after discovering that some beneficiaries sold the equipment instead of using it to establish businesses.
He explained that participants selected for the business incubation programme, particularly tailors, would receive industrial-grade equipment rather than basic sewing machines.
According to him, the package includes industrial sewing machines, overlock machines, specialised stitching equipment, electric cutters, scissors, consumables and branded business signboards.
He added that beneficiaries would also receive long-term mentoring, entrepreneurship training and technical support to help sustain their businesses.
