By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
The federal government said its targeting to trained 10,000 artisans annually .
This was contained in a statement signed and issued by Director Press and Public Relations , Badamasi S. Haiba said the goal is to create a steady pipeline of skilled professionals to meet the demands of Nigeria’s growing housing sector.
Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa,stated this at the formal presentation of National Artisan Skills Acquisition Programme (NASAP) to stakeholders at the 6th National Council on Skills (NCS), chaired by the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima at Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said NASAP is a strategic response to the deepening shortage of skilled artisans in Nigeria’s construction sector” Dangiwa stated.
Dangiwa described NASAP as a flagship intervention under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, designed to deliver practical, market-ready skills to Nigerian youth and raise the standard of housing delivery across the country.
“Whether it’s public or private housing projects, poor workmanship is undermining quality and safety”;
“NASAP is not just another training scheme. It’s a national effort to professionalize artisanship, restore quality, and connect skills to jobs”, the Minister stated.
A key feature of NASAP is Craft-Hub, a digital platform that the Minister described as “Uber for artisans.”
After undergoing training and certification, artisans will be digitally profiled and onboarded to a national database accessible to developers, contractors, and the general public. Each profile will include location, trade, ratings, and work history, building trust and enhancing job opportunities.
“We are building trust in skills,” the Minister said. “Craft-Hub will make it easy to find verified artisans — just like booking a ride.”
NASAP is designed as a 6-month intensive training programme, combining classroom instruction, hands-on practicals, mentorship, and jobsite exposure. It covers 10 high-demand construction trades:
Bricklaying and Masonry, Plumbing and Pipefitting, Electrical Installations, Carpentry and Woodwork and Painting .
Others are Decorative Finishes, Welding and Fabrication, Tiling and Floor Finishing, POP and Screeding Upholstery and Furniture Craft and Air Conditioning and Refrigeration.
The programme will leverage existing Building Craft Training Schools in Kuje and Yaba, with new centres planned for Imo and Yobe States.
NASAP is structured to roll out in three phases:
2025 – Pilot implementation in select states (3,000 artisans), 2026 – Nationwide rollout
2027 and Establishment of Regional Centres of Excellence.
NASAP will operate through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework, with the Ministry providing initial funding and working with development partners such as the World Bank, AFDB, UNDP, GIZ, JICA, and ESG aligned private investors to mobilize additional resources.
“We recognise that we cannot do this alone,” the Minister noted. “Our strategy is collaborative. Everyone, states, DFIs, employers, and training institutions has a role to play.”
In his response, Vice President Kashim Shettima commended the Honourable Minister for the initiative, describing NASAP as a game-changing intervention that aligns with the federal government’s priority to close the skills gap in infrastructure delivery.
“This initiative is timely and visionary,” the Vice President said. “If properly implemented, NASAP will go a long way in fixing the skills deficit that continues to undermine construction quality across the country.”
Following the presentation, the Council advised the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to deepen engagement with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to ensure full alignment of NASAP’s curriculum and structure with national certification frameworks.
With strong inter-agency collaboration and sustained support from stakeholders, NASAP has the potential to dramatically raise the quality of construction in Nigeria, create jobs, and reduce dependence on foreign artisans.
