The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) is set to train over 100,000 artisans in the second phase of its Skill Up Artisans Program (SUPA), a major initiative aimed at addressing the shortage of skilled manpower in Nigeria.
The programme follows the successful completion of the pilot phase, where 29,000 artisans were trained and prepared for further development.
ITF director-general, Dr. Oluwatoyin Afiz Ogun, described SUPA as one of the agency’s most impactful interventions in its 54-year history, emphasising its role in identifying, training, and certifying artisans while linking them to employment opportunities locally and internationally.
“Since its inception, SUPA has been designed to aggregate existing and intending artisans, assess their skill levels, provide training to upskill them, and expose them to international certification examinations,” Ogun said. “Our goal is to ensure they are connected to the real economy, either through direct employment or placement in foreign jobs.”
According to Ogun, the training will be implemented in three phases—the Foundation phase, SUPA I, and SUPA II. The Foundation phase, which has already been completed, introduced artisans to the basics, while SUPA I will focus on soft skills training, including certification in Artisan Project Management, Health and Safety, and Ethics & Patriotism. After completing this stage, successful candidates will automatically transition to SUPA II, where they will receive advanced technical and entrepreneurial training and take certification examinations at no cost.
To ensure a smooth rollout, he said ITF has launched a SUPA registration platform and conducted screening exercises in 90 senatorial districts. Ogun confirmed that, despite initial challenges, both the artisans and training centres involved in the first phase received their stipends as promised.
“As we commence the next phase, we are introducing new measures to improve onboarding, payment processing, and training logistics,” Ogun said. “We are also finalizing the production of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and obtaining Essential Training Materials (ETMs) ahead of the program’s official start.”
He added that a comprehensive list of selected trainees will soon be published on ITF’s website and the SUPA platform with training expected to last between six to eight weeks.
To accommodate the increasing number of participants, Ogun disclosed that ITF is expanding its network of training centres from 800 to at least 1,500 and negotiating with original equipment manufacturers for bulk purchases of training materials. The agency, he said, is also in advanced discussions with the Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA) to facilitate job placements for SUPA graduates, ensuring they transition smoothly into the workforce.
“To ensure that all three exit routes into the larger economy—employment, business incubation, and international placements—are fully activated, we are working closely with key stakeholders, including NECA,” he said.
Ogun further stated that ITF is developing a business incubation structure to support artisans interested in starting their own enterprises, creating an alternative pathway to economic empowerment.
“I am doing all in my power to entrench SUPA as a route to prosperity beyond formal education,” he said. “This aligns with ITF’s original mandate of bridging Nigeria’s manpower gap through structured training.”
He added that with these efforts, ITF aims to strengthen Nigeria’s workforce, equipping artisans with critical skills, employment opportunities, and pathways to entrepreneurship.
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