Nigeria has entered into a strategic partnership with Singapore to enhance Nigeria’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training, TVET, system.
The partnership, facilitated by the Federal Ministry of Education, was formalised through the signing of an agreement with the Institute of Technical Education, Education Services, ITEES, Singapore, and is designed to improve the quality of technical training and institutional capacity across Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry’s Director of Press, Boriowo Folashade, said the agreement was signed during a ceremony linking officials in Abuja and Singapore. Nigeria was represented by the National Board for Technical Education, while Singapore was represented by ITEES.
She explained that the partnership is the outcome of earlier engagements initiated during the 2025 official visit of the Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, to Singapore.
During the trip, the minister held discussions with Singapore’s Education Minister, Desmond Lee, and toured technical education campuses in the country.
Further consultations were later held in Abuja with Singapore’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Lim Sim Seng, in February to finalise the agreement.
According to the ministry, the arrangement will see ITEES support Nigeria through a specialised Train-the-Trainer programme aimed at strengthening the teaching and assessment competencies of instructors in technical institutions nationwide.
The initiative is intended to enable educators deliver practical training that meets international standards.
The agreement also provides for leadership development for principals and heads of departments from Nigerian technical institutions through training programmes in Singapore.
In addition, Nigeria will adopt the Global Excellence Model for Skills Training, GEMSET, a framework designed to benchmark and improve the performance of TVET institutions.
Folashade noted that under the GEMSET framework, technical institutions in Nigeria will be evaluated using globally recognised standards across seven critical areas of TVET excellence.
The model is expected to guide institutional reforms, modernise workshops and promote alignment with international best practices in skills development.
Speaking on the importance of the partnership, Alausa said Singapore’s technical education system has become a global benchmark for nations seeking to build a highly skilled workforce.
He expressed optimism that collaboration with ITEES would fast-track reforms in Nigeria’s technical education sector by strengthening institutional capacity and equipping educators with modern instructional and assessment techniques.
The minister added that the initiative supports the Federal Government’s broader effort to reposition technical education as a catalyst for economic growth, job creation and industrial expansion.
He noted that the partnership also aligns with the ministry’s National Education, Skills and Research for Innovation agenda and complements the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to build a competitive, knowledge-driven economy powered by innovation, skills and human capital development.
The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to leveraging global partnerships to strengthen Nigeria’s TVET system and equip young Nigerians with skills required to compete in the international labour market.
