The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has announced major reforms to its Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, as part of a broader push to better equip Corps Members with practical, future-ready skills and reduce youth unemployment.
The Director-General of NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, disclosed this at the 2025 second SAED stakeholders’ summit held in Abuja. Speaking under the theme “Empowering a Generation: Building Competence for the Future Workplace and Enterprise Through Impactful Partnerships,” Nafiu said the scheme is standardising the SAED curriculum to ensure deeper impact and consistent training nationwide.
According to him, the revamped programme is undergoing a full digital transformation and now includes modern skills such as artificial intelligence, mobile app development and other technology-driven competencies. He explained that Corps Members are also being integrated into key Federal Government initiatives like the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, as well as global remote work platforms including Outsource to Nigeria, NYSCjobs.ng and the SAED SME toolkit.
Describing SAED as a cornerstone of youth empowerment, Nafiu revealed that over 3.18 million Corps Members have received entrepreneurship and workplace readiness training since 2012, with more than 30,000 businesses formally registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
“These young entrepreneurs are employing others and contributing to the economy. They have shown that Nigerian youths are capable agents of change,” he said.
He stressed that beyond participation, the focus must now be on competence, mastery and digital fluency, so Corps Members can compete effectively in a fast-changing global economy. He also highlighted the recently launched ₦2 billion MSME loan fund for Corps entrepreneurs, established in partnership with the Bank of Industry, as a major milestone.
Nafiu praised the vision of the NYSC’s founding fathers for embedding entrepreneurship into the scheme’s objectives, noting that while unemployment was just 1.9 per cent in 1973, it now stands at about 6.9 per cent.
“Empowering young people is not just a programme; it is a national assignment, and NYSC is fully committed to it,” he said, calling on stakeholders to renew strategies that build creativity, confidence and enterprise among Corps Members.
Earlier, the Director of SAED, Kehinde Aremu-Cole, thanked partners for their continued support across sectors such as technology, creative industries, agriculture and financial empowerment. He said past trainings, grants and mentorship initiatives were already shaping Nigeria’s future and urged stakeholders to create special funding pathways to turn skills into viable businesses.
“We are not just running a programme; we are building a generation,” he said.
In a related development, the NYSC also reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening its Community Development Service (CDS) programme to better respond to emerging societal needs.
Speaking at a capacity-building workshop for CDS officers in Abuja, themed “Strengthening Community Development Service for Sustainability in a Changing Society,” Nafiu said the scheme would continue to equip officers with tools to guide Corps Members in identifying community needs, mobilising resources and executing impactful projects.
Represented at the event by the Director of Reform Coordination and Service Improvement, Chukwu Chinwendu, the DG noted that CDS remains central to the NYSC mandate, helping to promote grassroots development, social cohesion and national unity.
He urged officers to collaborate closely with traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups and community associations to ensure the sustainability of projects, while commending Corps Members for executing life-changing initiatives that continue to strengthen the relevance of the NYSC across the country.
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