In a renewed push to tackle youth unemployment and strengthen the link between education and industry, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to launch the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) 2.0.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima is expected to launch the programme on October 22, 2025, at the State House, Abuja.
According to Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, NECA’s director-general, the collaboration builds on a recent strategy meeting between NECA and the UNDP–NJFP team, where both parties agreed on actionable steps to ensure the success of the new phase.
The programme is expected to be fully handed over to the federal government in 2027 for sustained implementation.
The Nigeria jubilee fellows programme, a flagship initiative of the federal government supported by the European Union (EU), was designed to bridge the gap between young graduates and the labour market.
It offers 12-month, fully paid work placements across private, public, development, and non-profit sectors.
Each fellow receives a N150,000 monthly stipend, mentorship, and market-oriented training aimed at improving workplace readiness.
While the first phase, NJFP 1.0, recorded commendable progress, it faced challenges in scaling impact sustainably.
The new phase—NJFP 2.0—has been redesigned to deepen private-sector participation and create clearer pathways for long-term employability.
Oyerinde said NECA will play a central role in linking employers with trained fellows, beginning with a job fair scheduled as a side event during the official launch.
The fair will bring together key employers to interact with NJFP Fellows and explore placement opportunities.
He added that NECA will lead efforts to recruit and place 20,000 fellows with employers, leveraging its nationwide network to secure industry participation and ensure that training aligns with sector-specific skill demands.
Beyond placements, NECA will support the programme by generating industry data on skills needs, driving policy advocacy, and developing an industry-led training framework for Nigeria’s workforce.
Other partnership components include joint training sessions for employer focal persons to strengthen mentorship capacities during fellow placements.
Oyerinde further disclosed that NECA plans to host an NJFP industry summit in 2026 to review progress, share lessons, and reinforce collaboration among government, employers, and development partners.
Through this renewed partnership, NECA and UNDP aim to ensure that the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme fulfils its goal of producing a new generation of skilled, employable young Nigerians ready to drive the nation’s economic growth.
