NABTEB registrar urges African institutions to strengthen skills development
The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), Dr. Mohammed Aminu Mohammed, has called on African educational and assessment bodies to deepen collaboration
The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), Dr. Mohammed Aminu Mohammed, has called on African educational and assessment bodies to deepen collaboration in strengthening skills development.
Mohammed said the continent must work collectively to produce a workforce that meets global demands.
He made the call on Friday during the visit of the Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB) delegation to the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) headquarters in Abuja.
Welcoming the Ugandan delegation, the NABTEB registrar said the visit reflected a shared African commitment to advancing technical and vocational education and training (TVET).
Mohammed stressed that stronger collaboration among African institutions was essential to addressing challenges of relevance, quality and employability in technical education.
He assured the delegation of Nigeria’s readiness to support knowledge-sharing and technical cooperation across borders.
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Mohammed said: “As TVET institutions across Africa grapple with the dual challenge of relevance and quality, collaboration of this nature offers us an invaluable opportunity to share experiences, benchmark our systems, and collectively raise standards.
“I wish to assure the UVTAB delegation that Nigeria’s TVET agencies, including NABTEB, are ready and willing to share knowledge, technical expertise, and institutional frameworks that may be of benefit to Uganda’s vocational and technical assessment system."
He further described the visit to NERDC as significant, noting that the council remains a key driver of curriculum development and educational innovation in Nigeria.
“NERDC stands as a flagship institution in educational research and curriculum development in Nigeria, and its work underpins much of what institutions like NABTEB do in the areas of curriculum alignment, assessment development, and quality assurance,” he added.
Mohammed also commended NERDC for hosting the delegation, describing the engagement as a step toward stronger institutional partnerships across Africa.
“I also wish to commend the Executive Secretary and Management of NERDC for the warm reception and the well-structured programme put together for this visit,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the engagement would lead to long-term collaboration between Nigeria and Uganda in TVET advancement.
“It is my hope that this visit marks the beginning of a sustained and mutually beneficial partnership between Nigeria and Uganda in the TVET sector,” he stated.
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Earlier, the Executive Secretary of NERDC, Professor Salisu Shehu, said the council remains Nigeria’s apex institution for curriculum development, research and innovation.
He explained that NABTEB, established by Act 70 of 1993, plays a central role in assessing technical and business education in Nigeria.
Professor Shehu noted that the visit aligns with NABTEB’s 2025 initiative to review and validate 26 trade syllabi, covering emerging fields such as smart agriculture, coding and robotics, solar photovoltaic installation and creative media.
He said: “The collaboration seeks to harness NERDC’s expertise in ensuring that the reviewed trade syllabi meet national education policy requirements, and are adaptable for adoption across other African countries.”
Also speaking, Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, represented by Mr. Kehinde Osinaike, Deputy Director, Technology and Science Education, Federal Ministry of Education, described the visit as a milestone in African educational cooperation.
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“The Minister views this visit as a significant success for African educational diplomacy,” he said.
Osinaike added that Nigeria is shifting from a certificate-driven system to a skills-based economy.
“Our goal is to move from a certificate-based economy to a skill-based economy, and that journey starts with a curriculum that is functional, practical, and forward-looking,” he said.
The visit brought together NABTEB, NERDC and UVTAB officials to explore collaboration in curriculum development, assessment standards and technical education reform across Africa.
The engagement is expected to strengthen regional cooperation, improve skills acquisition frameworks and enhance the employability of graduates across the continent.
