The Federal Government has officially launched the National Artisan Skills Acquisition Programme (NASAP), a new initiative aimed at training young Nigerians in market-relevant skills and directly connecting them to job opportunities, especially in the housing and construction sectors. The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, unveiled the programme during the 6th National Council on Skills (NCS) meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The meeting was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who hailed the project as a game-changer in closing Nigeria’s long-standing skills gap.
Minister Dangiwa described NASAP as a vital part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He explained that NASAP is not just a training scheme, but a nationwide effort to professionalise artisanship, improve housing delivery quality, and link skilled workers to employment. According to him, poor workmanship has been a major challenge in public and private housing projects, often resulting in substandard construction and safety risks. “NASAP is our response to this challenge,” Dangiwa said, underscoring the need to raise the standard of craftsmanship across the country.
A key feature of NASAP is the introduction of the Craft-Hub, a digital platform designed to function like the popular ride-hailing service Uber, but for artisans. Dangiwa said the platform is a strategic solution to the growing shortage of skilled workers in Nigeria’s construction industry. After completing their training and certification, artisans will be digitally profiled and added to a national database. This database will be accessible to developers, contractors, and the general public, making it easier to locate verified artisans based on their location, trade, work history, and ratings.
“We are building trust in skills. Craft-Hub will make it easy to find verified artisans just like booking a ride,” the Minister stated. He explained that NASAP will run as a six-month intensive training programme that combines classroom learning, hands-on practice, mentorship, and exposure to actual job sites. The training will focus on ten high-demand construction trades, including bricklaying, masonry, plumbing, pipefitting, electrical installations, carpentry and woodwork, painting, decorative finishes, welding, fabrication, tiling, floor finishing, POP screeding, upholstery, furniture craft, and air conditioning and refrigeration repairs.
The government plans to train and certify 10,000 artisans annually under NASAP, ensuring a steady pipeline of skilled workers to meet the rising demands of Nigeria’s housing and infrastructure sectors. To achieve this, the programme will utilise existing Building Craft Training Schools in Kuje and Yaba, with new centres being developed in Imo and Yobe States. Dangiwa also outlined that NASAP would be implemented in three phases. This year, 3,000 trainees will be selected from various states as a pilot phase. By next year, the programme will be expanded nationwide, and by 2027, Regional Centres of Excellence will be established to strengthen training capacity.
The Minister disclosed that NASAP will operate under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework. While the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development will provide initial funding, additional resources will be mobilised from international development partners such as the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and private investors aligned with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards. “We recognise that we cannot do this alone. Our strategy is collaborative, everyone — states, DFIs, employers, and training institutions — has a role to play,” Dangiwa noted.
Vice President Kashim Shettima commended the initiative, describing NASAP as timely and visionary. He said the programme aligns with the federal government’s priority to close the skills gap in infrastructure delivery. “If properly implemented, NASAP will go a long way in fixing the skills deficit that continues to undermine construction quality across the country. With strong inter-agency collaboration and sustained support from stakeholders, NASAP has the potential to dramatically raise the quality of construction in Nigeria, create jobs, and reduce dependence on foreign artisans,” the Vice President said.
At the end of the presentation, the National Council on Skills advised the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to strengthen its collaboration with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE). This is to ensure that NASAP’s curriculum and structure align fully with the national certification frameworks for vocational and technical training.
NASAP adds to the Federal Government’s efforts to tackle unemployment, boost local capacity in skilled trades, and reduce reliance on foreign craftsmen. If successfully implemented, the programme is expected to significantly impact Nigeria’s construction quality, job creation, and economic development.
