Study on Skills Development for the Informal Sector of the Nigerian Economy

The problems of employment have become a central global concern in recent times. This makes nearly all the governments and development partners to be fully engaged in finding a lasting solution to the problems. In the past, development planning efforts were concentrated on the development of a modern industrial sector. It was believed that this would serve the domestic market and facilitate the absorption of redundant or surplus workers in the urban economy. It was also the belief that rapid economic growth and development would be achieved. The study is structured into five chapters. While chapter one looks at the background to the study, the terms of reference and the structure of the report, chapter two focuses on copious relevant literature on skills development bringing out the conceptual definitions, theoretical and empirical issues in the informal sector of the economy. Chapter three presents the methodology of how training providers as well as the beneficiaries of the programs were surveyed in the study. Chapter four gives the inventory of the programs for the informal sector skills development and a detailed analysis of five most important non- state-run programs in the country. Chapter five forms the conclusions and recommendations of the work