Presidency, ITF Announce NIMS 2.0 Summit for October 2026 With 10-Year Workforce Plan

• The Presidency and ITF scheduled the second National Industrial Manpower Summit for October 15 and 16, 2026, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja
• Senior Special Assistant Adamson Ayinde revealed that the 2025 edition drew over 2,500 delegates from more than 10 countries and produced five MoUs
• NIMS 2.0 will target a 10-year National Industrial Workforce Strategy covering AI, robotics, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing sectors

The Presidency and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) have announced the second edition of the National Industrial Manpower Summit (NIMS 2.0), set to hold on October 15 and 16, 2026, at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The summit will run under the theme "Unlocking Nigeria's Human Capital for Industrial Transformation: Building Skills, Driving Innovation and Creating Prosperity," with organisers framing the event as a shift from policy dialogue to concrete implementation.

Speaking at a joint press conference ahead of the summit, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industrial Training and Development, Hon. Adamson Oluwatoyin Ayinde, said NIMS was created as a Presidential platform to address how Nigeria can build the skilled, innovative workforce its industrial sector requires.

What the 2025 summit delivered

Ayinde said the inaugural NIMS in 2025 attracted more than 2,500 delegates from over 10 countries, featured about 120 speakers and resource persons, and produced more than five Memoranda of Understanding.

He added that recommendations from that summit had since fed into policy discussions and institutional decisions at the Presidency level.

He also disclosed that more than 250,000 nano, micro and small businesses had received free registration and training through the Corporate Affairs Commission, ITF and SMEDAN, following a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

About 50 participants from the 2025 summit received skills-development financial support, with plans to expand that number significantly ahead of the 2026 event.

Work has also begun on a National Industrial Manpower Competence Registry, a portal being developed in partnership with the ITF and the Bank of Industry to close the gap in available data on industrial skills and future workforce needs.

Agenda for NIMS 2.0

For the 2026 summit, Ayinde outlined four priorities: reforming workforce development for industrial growth; preparing Nigerian talent for emerging technologies; converting skills into jobs and manufacturing capacity; and establishing Nigeria as Africa's leading hub for industrial talent.

The summit will advance a 10-year National Industrial Workforce Strategy, sector-specific workforce roadmaps, and stronger Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) and apprenticeship systems.

Training in artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing will also be accelerated.

ITF Director-General Dr. Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun described the fund as a principal co-host of the initiative, saying NIMS 2.0 represents "a new phase focused on implementation, scaling and measurable impact."

He said the ITF would draw on its more than five decades of institutional training experience to help deliver the summit's key outcomes, including standardised skills certification and cross-sector partnerships to integrate skilled Nigerians into manufacturing and technology.

Both Ayinde and Ogun called on the private sector, training institutions, development partners and young Nigerians to engage with NIMS 2026, arguing that infrastructure and capital alone cannot drive industrialisation without investment in skilled human capital.