The Nigeria's government, through the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has announced a major revamp of Nigeria's technical education curriculum to reduce overload, strengthen trade competencies, align with global standards, and prepare young Nigerians for current industrial demands.

With 26 trade areas streamlined and modernised to reflect industry needs and are critical to Nigeria's economic growth, the reforms are said to focus on students learning trades relevant to industry while strengthening Nigeria's manufacturing, services, and digital economy. However, economic expert expressed that policy can be beautiful on paper and if there is no proper implementation, it can not achieve its desired aim.

Speaking with Mr Bello Audu, Chief Consultant, Economic DTGES, TEDr; and Innovation Economist, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, stated that the government move is not something that will contribute to Nigeria's economy overnight. It has to take some years before we start seeing the positive impact.

"The government can do a lot. One (first) is coming up with the policy, the new curriculum, that is the first step in the right direction. The next stage now is proper implementation of that policy because policy can be beautiful on paper, but if there's poor implementation then it will not really achieve the desired aims," Mr Audu said.

Mr Audu furthered that "proper implementation has to be in place and schools, be it private or public, the government has to make them put everything in place and there should be a quality control mechanism to go and check to make sure the new curriculum is being implemented at all levels."

For the recent development to effectively contribute to Nigeria's economy, Mr Audu emphasized that there should be syynergy between Federal, State, and Local government. "Whatsoever they have there should be synergy among these three arms so that the policy can be easily implemented and, it has to be implemented without the favor or fear of people or schools that fail to implement it."

Mr Audu stressed that if everything has been put in place, accountability is needed to document and track the students that are being taught through this new curriculum after they graduate. "They can be able to track them, consult with them and get to know how it has impacted their life after graduation, and what they're able to do or where they are able to work or what career they're able to pursue. So that they will be able to know where needed to be improved and where need to be discarded within the policy."

"This new policy, what the federal government should have done was first of all, start with federal government schools, like unity school and the federal government college that are within the peer review of the federal minister of education, reviewing it tracking process to know the progress and the challenges that the curriculum will face if implemented across the country. And know how to mitigate against such challenges and what manpower it requires."

"(Now) The implementation might be poor from the start. Very very poor because many schools might not even have the resources available, the manpower, the structure and the facility. So that will be challenging and that will bring about the schools cutting corners and the ministries at the state level will understand the situation because it's just a new policy so implementation cannot be overnight perfect," Mr Audu explained.

Mr Audu commends some secondary schools that are already doing some of the trade areas that the ministry of education has streamlined. In Maiduguri, Borno State, GCC Girls' Academy, a project of Girl Child Concerns is providing quality education and practical skills for the growth of displaced children, although it's not part of academy curriculum.

"Schools that are already doing those trade and vocational training are commendable. However not being part of the curriculum makes it not to have that formal backing. when you have it as a curriculum that it has to be done every week in the academic calendar once the school is in session you see that is more important."