Nigerian employers criticise university courses as unfit for jobs
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
Nigerian employers say university courses do not adequately prepare graduates with the skills expected in the workplace. At a round table during the University of Lagos’s 2026 International Week, business and education leaders called for courses to better match professional needs, Punch reported.
Nigerian employers called for university curricula to be brought closer to the skills expected in the workplace, at a round table organised as part of the 2026 International Week of the University of Lagos (UNILAG). Speakers called for more practical training and cooperation between universities and businesses, the Nigerian daily Punch reported.
Toyin Gbagi, operations director of KPMG Nigeria and West Africa, said recruiters struggled to find ten competent candidates out of 100. Companies then had to invest heavily in training the graduates they recruited to adapt them to the realities of the workplace, she added. She called for courses and programmes to be assessed regularly, saying that changes in work driven by artificial intelligence made this review more urgent.
The discussion, moderated by Ismail Ibraheem, chairman of the board of UNILAG Consult, brought together, among others, officials from Stanbic IBTC, King’s College London and the University of Birmingham. The panellists stressed the importance of allowing students to apply the knowledge acquired in class to real-world problems.
