NELFUND Set to Launch National Vocational Skills Loan Programme in Enugu

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has disclosed plans to extend its loan programme to include vocational and skills acquisition centres throughout Nigeria, with Enugu State as the starting point.

In a statement released on Friday during a strategic engagement and awareness campaign in Enugu, attended by senior representatives of NELFUND and the Enugu State Government, it was announced that the initiative will commence within the next six to eight weeks.

Akintunde Sawyerr, the Managing Director of NELFUND, reiterated the organisation’s commitment to promoting technical education through skills training centres across the country, including in sectors such as fashion design and other vocational fields. He confirmed that Enugu has been selected as the pilot location for the programme.

“The Managing Director/Chief Executive of NELFUND, Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, alongside the Executive Director of Operations, Mr. Mustapha Iyal, led a NELFUND delegation to Enugu State for a strategic engagement session with key stakeholders.”

“The visit, held in collaboration with the Enugu State Ministry of Education, included interactive sessions with representatives of tertiary institutions and traditional rulers, aimed at deepening awareness and strengthening partnerships for the successful implementation of NELFUND’s initiatives.”

“We are working on it now, and we’re going to have some discussions with the executive governor and his team because we want to start it here.”

“The president has also instructed that we focus on areas where the governments or the institutions of state and instruments are ready to work with us so that we can have a quick takeoff. I think that within the next six to eight weeks, you will see us kick something off,” he said.

During a visit to the Enugu Garments and Fashion Hub, NELFUND’s Executive Director of Operations, Iyal Mustapha, emphasised Enugu’s level of preparedness and existing infrastructure, describing the state as having some of the most outstanding vocational training facilities so far observed.

“Presently, we have other states, almost more than 10 states that we have seen such, but then, Enugu is one of the best.”

“Enugu is going to be one of the first states or one of the first locations we are looking at to start. With what I see, there is a lot of positivity.”

“We have seen different skill centres from the technical colleges to the vocational skill centres, like the fashion design, and they are all very positive for us at NELFUND. I would not say that Enugu will be the only state, but one of the first states to start with,” he said.

Providing insights into how the loan scheme would function, Mustapha explained that applicants will be able to apply through an online portal once it becomes available.

He mentioned that the scheme would cover the costs of training, offer maintenance stipends throughout the training period, and provide basic equipment upon the completion of the programme.

“We are going to have these centres in place to say if you apply from Enugu, this is where to go in Enugu. We are going to pay for their training costs, we are going to be giving them upkeep, and at the end of the day, they will have some working tools when they finish their training.”

“We are still trying to complete that into our guidelines. The training costs are based on what the centre is proposing, that’s what we are paying, but the institutional charges are going to be part of the loan because it’s to support them with the transport coming to these skill centres.”

“It’s a work in progress, and the country is always evolving. The government is seeing the value in skills and vocation just to support the community.”

Arinze Chilo-Offiah, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Digital Economy and MSMEs and also the Director General of the Enugu SME Centre, affirmed the state’s dedication to youth development through skill enhancement.

“We just wanted to show them the world-class facilities we have here to let NELFUND know that we are ready to key into the skills acquisition component of the fund.”

“One component is to take care of school fees and upkeep of tertiary institution students; the other aspect is vocational skills. We just came from the Government Technical College (GTC) revamped world-class facilities there, and we are also showing them our fashion hub.”

“As you can see, Enugu is ready to absorb all the support from NELFUND. They will be able to provide us with zero-interest loans for training in fashion.”

“We have about 150 industrial sewing machines here, and we have world-class monogramming machines. We can sit at any given point in time, 300 plus or closer to 500,” he said.