Lagos Targets 10,000 Residents For Skills Acquisition

Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu says his administration through the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) has concluded plans to train 10,000 residents in industry-relevant skills across technology, construction, fashion, health and business sectors.

Sanwo-Olu stated this at the Omniverse Africa Summit 3.0, organised by Omniverse Africa and the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund with the theme “Connected Future: Synergy for Impact,” held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts (National Theatre), Iganmu, Lagos.

The Governor, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, noted that the government is also investing in broadband access, digitising government services, establishing innovation clusters, and building the policy environment that makes entrepreneurship viable at scale.

According to him, “Our administration has pursued these efforts deliberately under the THEMES+ Development Agenda. We are investing in broadband access, digitising government services, establishing innovation clusters, and building the policy environment that makes entrepreneurship viable at scale. We are not simply aspiring to be Africa’s technology hub; we are building the conditions that make that designation earned.”

The Governor described the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), as a key vehicle for achieving the state’s employment and entrepreneurship objectives, noting that the agency was established to reduce unemployment by providing access to capital and skills development opportunities.

Reeling out the different initiatives put in place by the government, Sanwo-Olu disclosed that in 2025 alone, the LSETF disbursed ₦1.91 billion in affordable loans to more than 4,000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), while grants worth over ₦23 million were provided to 65 businesses to support expansion and resilience.

He further disclosed that the Fund’s graduate internship programme facilitated paid employment opportunities for 2,500 young people, with monthly stipends provided to ease the financial burden associated with entering the workforce.

The Governor added that LSETF had also empowered 1,050 persons with disabilities through entrepreneurship training and the provision of start-up tools, stressing that inclusion remains a central pillar of the state’s economic development agenda.

“And through a renewed partnership with the United States African Development Foundation, LSETF is on course to train 10,000 Lagosians in industry-relevant skills across technology, construction, fashion, health, and business. These figures matter because they represent a model: that when the government intervenes deliberately, transparently, and with genuine accountability to outcomes, it changes lives at scale,” said the Governor.

The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, H.E. Gautier Mignot, affirmed its commitment of the Union to supporting Nigeria’s digital and creative economy, describing the country’s youthful population as both a tremendous asset and a pressing economic challenge.

“With a large population under the age of 40, Nigeria possesses remarkable vitality, innovation, and resourcefulness. However, the growing number of young people entering the labour market annually requires urgent and sustainable job creation strategies.

‘’ Though the traditional sectors such as agriculture, industry, and extractive activities remain important, they alone may not sufficiently address this challenge, but the rapidly expanding digital and creative economy is a viable pathway for growth and employment,” he said.