Engineering skills crisis risks derailing Nigeria’s manufacturing push, technologists warn

The Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE) says the widening gap in practical engineering skills is undermining efforts to industrialise Africa’s largest economy, even as governments and businesses continue to invest in infrastructure, technology and industrial projects.

Speaking in an interview with BusinessDay, Dominic Udoatan, NATE president said Nigeria’s technical colleges and polytechnics remain constrained by obsolete equipment, poorly equipped workshops, inadequate practical materials, unreliable electricity supply and a shortage of experienced instructors.

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According to Udoatan , the situation has left many graduates without the hands-on skills required by modern industries, forcing employers to spend additional resources on retraining workers or rely on imported expertise.

“The country is facing a shortage of strategic technical skills that support manufacturing, production engineering and industrial development,” Udoatan said.

He identified the absence of critical disciplines such as foundry technology, machine tools practice and biomedical engineering from mainstream technical training programmes as a major contributor to the problem.

The warning comes at a time when Nigeria is seeking to expand local manufacturing, deepen industrial production and reduce dependence on imports. These ambitions may prove difficult if the supply of skilled technical manpower continues to lag demand.

While successive governments have introduced reforms aimed at strengthening technical and vocational education, Udoatan said the expected transformation in skills development and industrial capacity has yet to materialise.

The challenge reflects a broader mismatch between education and industry needs. As manufacturers adopt automation, mechatronics, digital production systems and advanced machinery, many graduates lack exposure to the technologies increasingly used in modern factories.

To bridge the gap, NATE has launched capacity-building programmes focused on practical engineering competencies and industry-relevant skills. The association is also developing professional standards and specialised training frameworks for technical fields that currently lack adequate representation.

Udoatan said engineers, technologists and instructors should undergo structured industrial retraining at least once every five years to remain aligned with evolving technologies and industrial practices.

He also pointed to Nigerian Machine Tools Limited in Osogbo as an underutilised national asset capable of supporting training in machine tools production, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) systems and mechatronics. Greater use of such facilities, he said, could help strengthen local technical capabilities and reduce dependence on foreign expertise.

Beyond training, NATE is encouraging innovation and local manufacturing through cottage industries established across its branches nationwide. The initiative focuses on designing and fabricating machinery using locally sourced materials, creating opportunities for entrepreneurship while addressing industrial challenges.

The association says its members have already developed several indigenous technologies, including an egg incubator machine, a patented rice de-stoning machine, a coconut de-shelling machine and a castor oil seed de-husking machine.

The projects are intended not only to improve technical skills but also to demonstrate that locally developed engineering solutions can address challenges in agriculture and manufacturing.

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NATE is also expanding its focus on biomedical engineering, an area that has become increasingly important as Nigeria seeks to improve healthcare infrastructure and reduce dependence on imported medical equipment.

Partnerships with institutions such as Bayero University and Yaba College of Technology are supporting specialised training in equipment handling, laboratory management and safety practices.

For Nigeria, the issue goes beyond education. The country’s ability to attract manufacturing investments, develop local supply chains and compete in emerging industrial sectors may increasingly depend on whether it can build a pipeline of engineers and technologists equipped for a rapidly changing technological landscape.

Without that workforce, industry experts warn that Nigeria risks investing in infrastructure and industrial projects without developing the technical capacity needed to sustain them.