A Belgian-inspired education and workforce concept, called ‘education tax credits’ that encourages blue-chip companies and small businesses to train students could help Nigeria address its rising skills gap and boost workforce development.
In the Belgium model, organisations operate like training hubs and, in return, receive a ‘pay-as-you-train’ tax rebate. Students may spend up to 60 percent of their time in structured, paid workplace training, governed by formal contracts between schools, firms, and learners.
The belief is that education performs best when treated as a co-investment between the state and the private sector employers.
Explaining why the model is timely for Nigeria’s current economic climate, Collins Nweke, international trade consultant, policy advocate & former green councillor for Social Affairs in Belgium, said that the primary obstacle to technical education in Nigeria is the disconnect between the classroom and the factory floor.
He argues that the private sector must be incentivised to move from being mere consumers of labour to being co-creators of it, as Nigeria could no longer afford what he described as “learning poverty” which is an economic constraint”.
Firms routinely cite “employability gaps” despite rising graduate numbers, this model can be effective when curricula are adjusted dynamically to labour-market signals, reducing mismatch risk and employer onboarding costs.
“Nigeria should adopt a robust system of education tax credits specifically for blue-chip companies. These industry leaders possess the advanced manufacturing infrastructure that schools lack…,” Nweke explained.
“By offering direct deductions from Company Income Tax (CIT) for every accredited apprenticeship hosted, the government effectively turns the private sector into a training hub,” he added.
For these large corporations, he noted that the incentive is twofold: their tax liability is reduced while simultaneously grooming a bespoke workforce that understands their specific technological requirements from day one.
Utilising diaspora community
He called for the institutionalisation of a ‘Diaspora BRIDGE’, urging the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) to partner with the Federal Ministry of Education to create a knowledge transfer tax incentive.
“Diaspora Nigerians who contribute over 100 hours of virtual technical training or curriculum design should be eligible for streamlined investment permits or pioneer status for their Nigeria-based businesses,” he said.
Adopting regionally-led curricula
Nweke also argued for a shift away from a one-size-fits-all national curriculum. “We must decentralise and adopt agile, regionally led curricula,” he said, adding that school boards should have the autonomy to work with local industries.
“Tech should drive curricula in the Yaba corridor, agribusiness in the Middle Belt, and renewable energy in the North, so that local human capital is deliberately aligned with local industrial demand.”
While blue-chip firms have the scale, SMEs are the lifeblood of Nigerian employment. However, these smaller players often lack the financial “breathing space” to train novices.
He recommends that the country considers a ‘skills consortium’ model for SMEs. “If a group of small tech firms or engineering workshops pool their resources to train a cohort of apprentices, they should be eligible for group tax incentives.
This ‘pay-as-you-train’ rebate lowers the barrier to entry, allowing the smallest workshop to become a classroom without risking its own solvency.”
Why it matters
Based on his experience in Belgium’s education and skills ecosystem, Nweke believes the model would ease the transition from school to work by embedding practical experience into education pathways.
“Students would graduate with up to two years of real-world experience already under their belt,” he said, noting that this would significantly reduce the lag between graduation and employment.
Second, the model would improve productivity by steering learners towards pathways where they are most likely to succeed. “We stop forcing everyone into traditional university routes where they may underperform and instead place them in technical tracks where they can thrive,” he explained.
The third benefit, he argued, is fiscal sustainability. “It is far cheaper for the government to offer tax credit to a productive company than to carry the long-term social costs of high youth unemployment,” Nweke said.
Responding to concerns that vocational or technical pathways might be viewed as inferior, particularly in Nigeria’s status-conscious education culture, Nweke rejected the notion outright. Drawing on his experience in Belgium, where students are sometimes advised to move from university to vocational tracks, he insisted such a shift should not be seen as a demotion.
“It is not a step down at all; it is a step towards economic sovereignty,” he said. “In the global economy of 2026, a master’s degree without a specific competence is just a piece of paper. A certified technician in green energy or advanced manufacturing is a global asset.”
Nweke said the Federal Government’s recent introduction of 15 new trade subjects was “a commendable policy signal” but warned that without the kind of industrial scaffolding seen in Europe, it risked becoming “another unfunded mandate”.
“Today, the infrastructure deficit in our public schools, from power instability to a shortfall of about 190,000 teachers. makes the teaching of subjects such as digital craft or solar installation nearly impossible at scale,” he said.
