By Michael Oche
At least 26,961 unemployed Nigerians are set to benefit as the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) expands the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Employment Initiative (RHEI), rolling out a revamped third phase that introduces digital registration, longer training and market-driven skills acquisition.
The Acting Director-General of the NDE, Mr. Edmund Onwuliri, disclosed this during a meeting of the Directorate’s Executive Management, Zonal Directors and State Coordinators in Abuja, where preparations for the nationwide rollout of the programme were concluded.
Onwuliri said the new phase builds on the achievements and lessons from the earlier editions of the initiative, while introducing major reforms designed to improve transparency, efficiency and programme impact.
According to him, the reforms include a fully digital registration and programme management system, an extension of the training period from three to six months, demand-driven skills acquisition and a grassroots-based beneficiary selection process.
He urged Zonal Directors and State Coordinators to ensure strict compliance with the implementation guidelines, stressing that transparency, accountability and efficiency would determine the success of the programme.
“The Directorate is committed to strengthening programme delivery by building on the successes and lessons learned from the previous phases of the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative. We must ensure strict compliance with the implementation guidelines and uphold the highest standards of transparency, accountability and efficiency throughout the implementation process,” Onwuliri said.
A communiqué issued after the meeting revealed that all applications for the new phase would be processed through an upgraded online registration portal, ending manual registration and introducing a technology-driven process expected to improve programme administration and monitoring.
The new portal will also give another opportunity to applicants who registered during the first and second phases but were not selected, as their National Identification Numbers (NINs) will be reactivated to enable them apply again.
In a move to promote inclusion, the platform has also been designed to automatically direct persons with disabilities to skills acquisition programmes tailored to their needs.
Providing further details, the Director of Rural Employment Promotion and Chairman of the RHEI Implementation Committee, Mrs. Omatsola O. Elizabeth, said the programme would not only train 26,961 unemployed Nigerians but also provide resettlement support for 3,405 outstanding beneficiaries to enable them establish their businesses after training.
She disclosed that one of the major innovations under the new phase is an NDE-Timeterest partnership, through which 10,000 beneficiaries will receive free ICT training, while trainees will also benefit from standardised training curricula and certification by the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB).
Elizabeth added that implementation of the programme will run until February 19, 2027, while the nationwide flag-off has been fixed for August 4, 2026.
The expanded programme also introduces new and more market-oriented training packages across the Directorate’s departments, reflecting the growing demand for entrepreneurial, technical and creative skills. Occupational Safety and Health standards will equally be integrated into all training activities to ensure safer learning and work environments.
To ensure wider participation, the NDE said it would intensify public awareness campaigns and grassroots mobilisation so that more unemployed Nigerians can take advantage of the opportunities offered under the scheme.
The Renewed Hope Employment Initiative is one of the Federal Government’s flagship employment programmes aimed at tackling unemployment through skills acquisition, entrepreneurship development and business support, with the latest phase expected to significantly widen access to training and sustainable livelihood opportunities across the country.
