The Federal Government has commenced the expansion of its National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy across Nigeria, targeting about five million Nigerians for poverty reduction over the next four years.

As part of the initiative, the government trained 700 youths in Oyo State, equipping them with vocational skills, digital devices and business starter kits.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, Dr Abiola Arogundade, said this at a graduation ceremony held at the Kensington Adebutu Hall, University of Ibadan, on Friday.

Arogundade said the initiative reflected President Bola Tinubu’s determination to tackle poverty by creating opportunities for economic independence rather than relying solely on direct assistance.

She said, “What we want to do, and what the President wants to do, is to move as many people out of poverty as possible.

“Mr President believes that our young people do not simply need assistance. They need opportunity. They need skills. They need the tools to compete and build sustainable livelihoods. And that is what today represents.”

The training programme, which ran from September 28 to October 9, 2026, culminated in the graduation ceremony on Friday, where participants received enterprise equipment intended to help them transition from training to income-generating activities.

The intervention, implemented through the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, is designed to address unemployment, bridge the skills gap and equip beneficiaries to establish businesses and participate in the digital economy.

Arogundade said that, under the Oyo phase, “30 participants received specialised instruction in artificial intelligence and graphics design, while 85 were trained in make-up artistry and another 85 in fashion design.

“A further 500 participants will receive digital devices to support their participation in the expanding digital economy.”

The beneficiaries received laptops, make-up kits, sewing machines and digital tablets, depending on their areas of training and the support provided.

Arogundade urged the graduates to use the intervention to build sustainable livelihoods and extend the benefits of their training to other members of their communities.

She said, “What you receive today (Friday) is not the destination. It is the beginning. Take the skills you have learnt. Take the tools you have received, and build something with them.

“Don’t use it as a one-man solution or one-man empowerment. There’s a multiplier effect. Train your neighbours, train your community people, and also continue to impact and learn more.”

The keynote speaker and Principal Consultant, Mrs Oluronke Shonubi, said training young Nigerians in artificial intelligence was important as major economies continued to integrate the technology into different sectors.

She said, “Countries such as the United States and China are investing heavily in AI across sectors including manufacturing, agriculture, and the automobile industry.”

Also speaking, the make-up artistry instructor, Rukayat Muhammad, said the skills acquired during the programme could provide beneficiaries with a route to financial independence if properly developed and marketed.

She said, “Make-up artistry remains a marketable vocation, and beneficiaries can build successful businesses if they develop their skills and effectively market themselves.”

Muhammad advised the trainees to regard the equipment provided by the government as an investment in their economic future and use it to establish and grow their businesses.

Addressing the beneficiaries, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, Sharafadeen Alli, said the training should serve as a foundation for economic independence. He encouraged them to embrace entrepreneurship, develop their competencies and use the knowledge gained to create employment opportunities for themselves and others.

He said initiatives that equipped young people with practical skills and tools to establish businesses were important to tackling unemployment and reducing poverty. He added that the intervention would have greater benefits if the beneficiaries translated their training into viable enterprises.

Alli said, “I urge all the beneficiaries to make the best use of this opportunity. The training and equipment provided are not just gifts; they are tools to build sustainable businesses, achieve financial independence and create employment for others.“

One of the beneficiaries, Olaleye Idowu, a 400-level International Relations student at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, said the AI and graphics design training had introduced him to the fundamentals of the technology and its potential applications.

He said, “The training introduced us to the fundamentals of AI, its applications, and its potential to make work more efficient.”

Dignitaries at the event included the senator representing Oyo Central, Yunus Akintunde; the Oyo State APC Women Leader and Tinubu Torch Bearers coordinator, Dr Adekemi Opatunde; and the South-West Federal Constituency coordinator, Hon. Folake Olunloyo-Oshinowo.