News
President Tinubu To Open APC Think Tank Conference on Skills Acquisition
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will on Tuesday declare open a Three Day National Conference that would address poverty, unemployment and skills’ gap in Nigeria.
The conference is designed by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC Think Tank and intellectual resource center, The Progressive Institute, TPI.
Themed: Vocational Skills Acquisition, Entrepreneurship and Challenges of Development in Nigeria, the conference is scheduled to hold from Tuesday, 17th to Thursday 19th December, 2024 at The Banquet Hall of The Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The Chief host of the conference and APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje said the conference is an intervention by the APC Leadership to contribute to the efforts of the Federal Government towards addressing the challenges of youths unemployment as well as the current gaps between many University degrees and work place requirements.
“TPI will assemble a team of Experts and practitioners to undertake empirical and clinical appraisals of the current challenges and proffer creative and imaginative solutions which will be forwarded to the Federal Government for consideration and implementation”.
Dr. Lanre Adebayo, Director General, DG of TPI noted that the event is a policy- driven Conference with the aim of addressing advanced skills sector such as Advanced Construction Technologies, Digital Technologies, Technical skills in Mining, Maritime, Advanced Welding Certifications, Skills in Sustainable development and Climate Change Agriculture (including value chain processing, agro-preneurship) etc.
The DG said the Conference will undertake a comparative and historical analyses of the experiences of countries such as Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia which built their economies on related advanced vocational skills.
“Foreign and Nigerian based groups have been invited to deliver position papers on these areas. And some of them from Britain and China have offered to raise funds for a proposed Zonal Skills Acquisition Centers”
Dr. Adebayo added that there are middle level as well as low level vocational skills which will also feature at the programme. He said the essence is to shortlist these skills especially in the context of their relevance to each of the Country’s six geo-political areas.
He added that conference seeks a review of the extant Nigerian educational curriculum with a view to examining how to restore and strengthen the vocational content.
“It will also examine how to further utilize the cooperative model in organizing small and medium scale enterprises into powerful economic units especially to create wealth on sustainable basis”
It promises to be expository as Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEDAN), Nigerian Chamber of Commerce, Bank of Industry, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and other government and non-governmentmental organizations, NGO have been invited to contribute to the conference.
Foreign news
Algeria’s Glorious Revolution: Embassy Marks 72nd Anniversary in Abuja
Joel Ajayi
The Embassy of Algeria in Nigeria has commemorated the 72nd anniversary of the country’s Glorious Revolution of November 1, 1954, with a reception in Abuja, highlighting Algeria’s liberation struggle and strengthening diplomatic relations with Nigeria.
The event, held on November 9, 2026, at Continental Suites Hotel, attracted prominent personalities, including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr Tajudeen Abbas, members of the Federal Government, senior government officials, heads of diplomatic missions and other friends of Algeria.
Speaking at the reception, Algeria’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Hocine Mezoued, welcomed guests and paid tribute to the country’s freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives during the struggle for independence.
He described the November 1, 1954 revolution as the foundation of modern Algeria, noting that the sacrifices of the nation’s martyrs made it possible for the country to reclaim its sovereignty.
On Algeria’s development agenda, Mezoued said President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s administration had continued to pursue economic reforms, diversification and national development under its New Algeria vision.
He noted that the country was recording progress in non-hydrocarbon exports, while improvements in the business environment had boosted investor confidence and attracted significant foreign investments.
On foreign policy, the ambassador reaffirmed Algeria’s commitment to non-interference, respect for national sovereignty, peaceful conflict resolution and the right of peoples to self-determination.
Addressing security challenges in the Sahel, he stressed that lasting peace could not be achieved through military measures alone, insisting that economic development, inclusive dialogue and peaceful resolution of disputes remained essential.
Turning to Nigeria-Algeria relations, Mezoued described the partnership as one founded on shared values and the commitment of both countries’ leaders to advancing African development.
He identified the Trans-Saharan Highway, Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline and Trans-Saharan Fibre Optic Backbone as major strategic projects receiving attention from both countries.
The ambassador also disclosed that Algeria had continued to provide scholarships to Nigerian students to strengthen human capital development and capacity building.
He further announced that Air Algérie expanded its Nigerian operations on October 26, 2026, with the introduction of two weekly flights to Lagos, expressing confidence that the service would boost trade and tourism.
Looking ahead, Mezoued said 2027 would offer fresh opportunities to deepen bilateral cooperation, particularly through the fifth Joint High Bi-National Commission scheduled to hold in Abuja.
He expressed optimism that the meeting would provide an opportunity to assess existing partnerships, identify new areas of cooperation and move Nigeria-Algeria relations towards a more practical and results-driven phase.
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