The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has announced a major overhaul of its Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme, with the introduction of cutting-edge digital skills such as artificial intelligence and mobile application development.
Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, disclosed this at the 2025 second SAED stakeholders’ summit held in Abuja, describing the reform as part of a broader effort to tackle youth unemployment and boost self-reliance among corps members.
According to Nafiu, the scheme is standardising the SAED curriculum nationwide to ensure deeper impact and relevance in a rapidly evolving global economy. He said the revamp includes a comprehensive digital transformation designed to position young Nigerians for both local and global opportunities.
The NYSC boss revealed that corps members are also being integrated into the Federal Government’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) initiative, as well as global remote work platforms such as Outsource to Nigeria, NYSC Jobs.ng and the SAED SME Toolkit.
Describing SAED as a cornerstone of youth empowerment, Nafiu noted that over 3.18 million corps members have undergone entrepreneurship and workplace readiness training since the programme began in 2012. He added that more than 30,000 businesses linked to the scheme have been formally registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
“They are employing others and contributing to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, proving that Nigerian youths are capable agents of change,” he said.
Nafiu stressed the importance of building competence, skill mastery and digital fluency among corps members to make them competitive in a fast-changing world. 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 boost for youth-led enterprises.
Reflecting on the origins of the scheme, the NYSC director-general commended the founding fathers of the programme for embedding entrepreneurship training into its objectives, noting that youth unemployment has risen sharply over the decades.
“We must remain committed to empowering a generation whose innovation and enterprise will shape Nigeria’s future prosperity,” he said, urging stakeholders to continually refine strategies that equip corps members with creativity, confidence and practical skills.
Earlier, the Director of SAED, Mr. Kehinde Aremu-Cole, praised stakeholders for driving transformation across sectors such as technology, creative industries, agriculture and financial empowerment. He said previous trainings, grants and mentorship initiatives were already yielding positive results.
Aremu-Cole called for the creation of targeted funding channels to help corps members turn acquired skills into viable businesses.
“Together, we are not just running a programme; we are building a generation,” he said.
