By Felix Khanoba
The Federal Government has commenced the training of State Project Monitoring Officers (PMOs) under its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Programme as part of efforts to strengthen oversight, transparency and compliance ahead of the rollout of the programme’s second cohort.
The two-day capacity-building workshop, themed “Strengthening Monitoring, Compliance and Programme Delivery for Cohort 2 Implementation,” is aimed at equipping monitoring officers with the skills required to effectively supervise training centres, support programme implementation and ensure quality delivery nationwide.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop in Abuja, the National Coordinator of Special Programmes under the Minister of Education, Adebayo Onigbanjo, said the training was crucial to sustaining the gains already recorded under the initiative.
He described State PMOs as the ministry’s frontline representatives responsible for ensuring compliance with programme guidelines and maintaining quality standards across accredited training centres.
A statement signed by Ikharo Attah -Special Adviser on Media and Communications to Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, quoted Onigbanjo as saying, “TVET is one of the key pillars of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) and one of the flagship programmes designed to equip Nigerians with practical, industry-relevant, and employable skills.”
According to him, the workshop was designed to ensure that monitoring officers are fully aligned with their responsibilities while providing them with the knowledge and tools needed to support training centres effectively.
Onigbanjo disclosed that participants are being trained on the use of biometric registration systems deployed across training centres to improve data integrity, beneficiary verification and accountability.
“Transparency remains at the heart of the TVET initiative. We are deliberately leveraging technology while maintaining human oversight to ensure accountability at every stage of implementation. Every trainee is biometrically registered, and all payments are made directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts, thereby eliminating opportunities for abuse and ensuring that support reaches the intended recipients,” he stated.
He further noted that the programme now has more than 1,600 accredited training centres spread across the country and operating in nearly every local government area, making the role of monitoring officers even more critical.
Also speaking, the National Project Monitoring Officer for TVET and IDEAS, Odewunmi Olatunji, said the workshop would help stakeholders assess lessons from the first phase of implementation and prepare for a more effective rollout of Cohort 2.
He explained that the engagement provides a platform for national and state-level officers to exchange experiences, identify implementation challenges and develop practical solutions.
“This engagement allows us to receive feedback from officers who are directly involved in implementation at the state level. Their experiences are invaluable in helping us address gaps, improve coordination, and ensure that challenges encountered during the first phase are not repeated in the next cycle,” Olatunji said.
He added that officials of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), biometric registration service providers and other key partners are participating in the workshop to ensure alignment before the commencement of the next phase.
According to Olatunji, discussions are focusing on funding procedures, payments to training centres and beneficiaries, compliance requirements, accreditation processes, reporting frameworks and strategies for improving programme performance nationwide.
The AUTHORITY reports that the workshop is expected to produce a unified monitoring framework and deepen collaboration among stakeholders as preparations gather momentum for the nationwide launch of Cohort 2.
