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Misguided post-COVID-19 recovery and economic stagnation

The Philippines can no longer afford to mistake economic growth for economic transformation. The International Monetary Fund in 2024 reported that Philippine labor productivity remained below its prepandemic trend, while medium-term potential growth was revised downwards from 6.5 percent before the pandemic to 6.0-6.3 percent.

The 2024 Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas study on total factor productivity (TFP) supports these findings, indicating that Philippine productivity was below its prepandemic level, with estimated TFP growth in 2022 ranging from -1.9 percent to 0.8 percent, depending on the trend estimate.

A critical question can be raised: Did the Philippines restore its productive capacity after the pandemic, or merely resume activity without rebuilding its foundations and making it resilient to external shocks?

The economy contracted by 9.5 percent in 2020, rebounded 7.6 percent in 2022, then slowed to 5.5 percent in 2023.

Yet, a recovering gross domestic product (GDP) does not necessarily mean a recovering productive potential. Growth has gone downhill since then.

During the pandemic, businesses closed, investment collapsed, workers lost jobs and firms’ accumulated knowledge, supplier relationships and production routines were disrupted.

These losses may have shifted the country’s production possibility frontier (PPF) inward, thereby reducing the economy’s productive capability.

As proof of this weakened productivity capability, the Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office initially reported that Philippine investment fell by about 34 percent in 2020 from the 2019 level. Pandemic scarring is later seen to have cut annual potential growth by an average of 1.69 percentage points from 2022 to 2024, with roughly two-thirds due to slower physical capital accumulation.

These losses compounded long-standing weaknesses. The Philippines has struggled to build a broad industrial base and move agricultural workers into higher value-added activities.

Consumption, supported partly by overseas Filipino workers’ remittances, stays central to domestic demand. Remittances are indispensable to households, but consumption cannot substitute for a productive economy generating technological progress, sustained productivity gains and better-paying jobs.

The missed opportunity in 2022

The strong GDP growth in 2022 offered an opportunity to rebuild the economy’s productive capacity. Instead of chanting growth, the government could have pursued a coordinated industrial strategy to restore investment, upgrade technology, develop skills and reconnect domestic suppliers to production networks.

Technology is central since machinery alone is insufficient. Productive capacity depends on firms’ ability to acquire, operate, adapt and improve technology, which decides whether investment raises productivity and enables more sophisticated production. Without it, the country risks being trapped in lower value-added activities despite participating in global markets.

A capability-driven industrial policy could have found and subsidized functionally upgraded industries that specialize in nonroutine jobs and produced incomes according to their ability to develop technological change, create domestic value and generate productive linkages.

To do this, public support must be conditional, transparent and time bound, tied to measurable improvements in productivity, technology adoption, workforce skills and export performance.

Crucially, these capabilities could have spread beyond large enterprises. Supplier development programs could have trained micro, small and medium enterprises to adopt technology, meet quality standards and become reliable suppliers to advanced firms.

Assistance could have been judged by capability improvements, not the number of beneficiaries. Investment, education, trade, innovation, development finance and infrastructure could have been coordinated to support this transformation.

The cost of misguided policy

Reforms beginning in 2022 required costly public investment, but wrong policies carried costs as well. Early intervention could have preserved viable enterprises, skilled workers and supplier relationships before deterioration made rebuilding harder. It could have accelerated productive investment and strengthened domestic firms before subsequent headwinds intensified.

A stronger industrial base would not have insulated the Philippines from global commodity price shocks, tighter monetary conditions or weaker external demand. However, more productive firms, diversified production and deeper domestic supply chains could have provided greater capacity to adapt, sustain output and protect employment. Better paid productive jobs would have strengthened household welfare and confidence.

Appropriate reform would necessarily have increased immediate government spending. Its potential advantage however, was lowering the longer-term cost of rebuilding lost capabilities while expanding the productive base from which future income and public revenue could grow.

This required disciplined support for viable firms, measurable performance targets, withdrawal of aid from persistent underperformers and safeguards against indiscriminate subsidies and corruption.

Rebuilding productive capacity

The pandemic did not cause all the structural weaknesses, but it exposed and deepened them. Not pursuing capability-building reforms decisively during the recovery left the country vulnerable to subsequent shocks and allowed further erosion of its productive potential.

The government must urgently move beyond managing the economy’s immediate pressures and commit to a disciplined industrial policy that builds productive capabilities, upgrades technology and diffuses them across domestic firms.

Every year of delay risks widening the gap between what the Philippines produces today and what a stronger industrial base could produce. Without decisive action, economic stagnation will no longer be merely a looming risk. It could become this administration’s defining legacy.

Supreme Court orders Dompe cop to pay Rs. 100,000 for assaulting woman

The Supreme Court has ordered a Police Constable attached to the Dompe Police Station to pay Rs. 100,000 in compensation from his personal funds within six months, after holding that he violated the fundamental rights of a woman by physically assaulting her.

A three-judge bench comprising Justices Janak De Silva, Menaka Wijesundera and Sampath Wijeratne made the determination while allowing a fundamental rights petition filed by Jayasinghage Nirmala Kanthi.

The Court declared that the first respondent, Police Constable Lakmal (84253), had infringed the petitioner’s fundamental right guaranteed under Article 11 of the Constitution, which prohibits torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

The petitioner alleged that she was physically and verbally assaulted by the constable on 7 October, 2019, when she visited the Dompe Police Station to deliver a lunch packet to her husband. He had been arrested by Special Task Force officers over an allegation of brewing illicit liquor.

In support of her case, she produced medical documents, including a medico-legal examination receipt and a diagnosis ticket, along with photographs of her injuries. The Court observed that the injuries in the photographs appeared to correspond with those recorded in the medical documents.

Her account was further corroborated by an affidavit from the three-wheeler driver who took her to the police station and later drove her to hospital for treatment.

Senior Counsel Himalee Kularatne appeared for the petitioner. Counsel Udaya Bandara, instructed by Kalana De Silva, appeared for the first respondent, while State Counsel Induni Punchihewa appeared for the Attorney General.

Secondary Bond market yields close marginally higher

The secondary Bond market for the week ending 30 October witnessed an uptick in yields, with the elevated levels attracting strong absorptive buying interest that provided market support.

Following a broadly steady start, selective selling pushed yields higher, particularly on the 2033 and 2034 tenors, prompting renewed buying interest and facilitating several block transactions. By midweek, yields stabilised, trading steady to marginally lower on selected tenors amid healthy activity with a notable intraweek recovery observed. Following Thursday’s Treasury Bond auction, yields adjusted to the auction outcome, with the elevated levels yet again drawing strong demand and triggering a notable pickup in post-auction activity and transaction volumes. The week concluded with the market consolidating amid modest volumes, with underlying buying interest providing support against the upward pressure on yields.

Nevertheless, secondary market two-way quotes closed marginally higher along much of the yield curve. The 15.01.28 and 15.02.28 traded at yields of 10.55% and 10.45% respectively, while the 15.09.29 traded within 11.10% to 11.15%.

The 2030 tenors saw yields move higher during the week. The 01.08.30 traded up from an intraweek low of 11.50% to a high of 11.60% while the 15.10.30 exhibited a similar pattern, rising from an intraweek low of 11.54% to a high of 11.63%.

The 2031 tenors saw the 01.02.31 trade within 11.70% to 11.75%, the 15.03.31 within 11.74% to 11.80% and the 01.12.31 within 11.85% to 11.90%.

The 15.12.32 saw a more pronounced upward move in yields, trading up from an intraweek low of 12.00% to a high of 12.20% before recovering to 12.15%. The 01.06.33 traded at 12.30%, while the 01.11.33 traded within 12.35% to 12.37%.

The 2034 tenors also saw yields move higher during the week. The 15.06.34 traded up from an intraweek low of 12.50% to a high of 12.55%, the 15.09.34 at 12.55% while the auctioned 15.10.34 saw a sharper post-auction adjustment, rising from an intraweek low of 12.55% to a high of 12.63%.

On the longer end, the auctioned 15.08.36 traded within 12.90% to 12.85%, post-auction.

At the weekly Treasury Bill auction conducted last Wednesday (28), weighted average yields were seen holding steady with the rate on the 182-day and 364-day tenors remaining unchanged at 9.44% and 9.95% respectively for the fourth straight week. However, the 91-day tenor maturity saw its yield edge up marginally by 02 basis points to 9.34%.

The Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) raised only Rs. 86.48 billion or 86.48% in total out of the Rs. 100 billion offered in total. The 91-day tenor recorded acceptance above its respective target allocation, while the 182-day and 364-day recorded acceptances below their respective offered amounts.

Total bids received amounted to 2.25 times the overall offer.

This was followed by a round of Treasury Bond auctions conducted last Thursday (29 October),

which successfully raised the entire Rs. 100 billion offered at the 1st phase in competitive bidding. The auctions recorded a mixed outcome with weighted averages coming in line or above pre-auction market two-ways.

The bids received to accepted amount ratio stood at 2.19 times.

Maturity-wise the results were as follows: The shorter tenor 15.05.30 maturity was issued at a weighted average yield of 11.44%, in line with its pre-auction secondary market two-way quote; the 15.10.34 maturity was issued at a weighted average yield of 12.61%, marginally above its pre-auction secondary market two-way quote; the 15.08.36 maturity was issued at a weighted average of 12.85%.

Further to the Treasury Bond auction held on 29 October 2026, Rs. 8 billion was raised being the maximum amount offered, via the Direct Issuance Window as well.

Meanwhile, the foreign holdings of rupee-denominated government securities recorded a net outflow for the second straight week, registering a decrease amounting 4.30% or Rs. 8.61 billion for the week ended 29th October. Accordingly, the total foreign holdings of rupee treasuries decreased to Rs. 190.94 billion.

The Surplus liquidity in money markets was seen remaining elevated for the week ending 30th October 2026, close to the Rs. 400 billion mark and at Rs 392.68 billion increasing compared to its previous week’s closing level of Rs. 384.90 billion.

The weighted average rates on Call Money and Repo were at 9.04% and 9.10% respectively at the end of the week.

Furthermore, the Rupee or the USD/LKR rate was seen depreciating, to close the week ending 3oth October at Rs 332.55/332.65 as against its previous week’s closing of Rs. 332.10/332.20. This was subsequent to trading within an intraweek high of Rs. 332.23 and a low of Rs. 332.70 intraweek.

The average daily USD/LKR traded volume over the first four trading days of the week stood at $ 54.34 million.

PH firms stay gloomy on inflation, peso woes

Business sentiment improved slightly in September, though companies remained pessimistic as stubbornly high inflation, a weakening peso and geopolitical tensions continued to weigh on confidence, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said.

A nationwide survey of 515 companies showed the business confidence index rose to -8.4 percent from -10.9 percent in August. The negative reading, however, meant pessimists still outnumbered optimists.

Businesses cited persistent inflation, the peso’s depreciation, the prolonged conflict in the Middle East and weather-related disruptions to operations as reasons for their downbeat outlook.

Their expectation of future inflation also worsened. Companies now expect price growth to hit 5.7 percent over the next 12 months, up from their previous forecast of 5.4 percent.

Firms anticipating faster price increases pointed to continued oil price hikes, uncertainty over the outcome of the US-Iran conflict and further weakness in the peso.

The survey comes as the BSP steps up its fight against inflation. In October, the central bank surprised markets with a jumbo 50-basis-point interest rate increase, bringing its benchmark policy rate to 5.5 percent.

BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr. cited risks from elevated oil prices, potentially sharp wage increases and food supply disruptions linked to the ongoing El Niño episode.

The central bank expects inflation to average 6.1 percent this year, well above its 3-percent target. It also raised its inflation forecast for 2027 to 6 percent from 5.4 percent, although it expects price growth to ease to 3.3 percent in 2028.

Despite the tighter monetary policy, businesses expect their overall cash position to improve, with fewer firms anticipating financial constraints. Access to credit, however, is expected to remain tight.

Hiring plans also became more cautious, as the share of companies intending to increase their workforce over the next 12 months declined. By contrast, more firms in the industry sector said they planned to expand operations.

Looking ahead, businesses were less optimistic about the near-term outlook. The confidence index for the next three months fell to 20.9 percent from 24.6 percent in the previous survey, reflecting diminished expectations for business conditions.

Peso, oil risks seen keeping stock investors cautious

Philippine stocks may face cautious trading this week as peso weakness, elevated oil prices and the prospect of further interest rate increases weigh on investor sentiment, according to F. Yap Securities Inc.

In its outlook for Nov. 2 to Nov. 6, the brokerage said investors would also scrutinize corporate earnings guidance for signs that higher borrowing costs could delay expansion plans or affect dividends.

F. Yap identified a break below 5,600 as a signal to reduce exposure further, while a sustained close above 5,800 could support additional buying.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index (PSEi) ended last week at 5,680.35, down 0.84 percent.

The peso closed at P63.74 against the dollar on Friday after reaching P64.20 during the week, according to the report.

F. Yap said a weaker currency could compound pressure from elevated oil prices by making imported fuel and food more expensive.

The firm warned that these conditions could weigh on consumer confidence during the holiday quarter.

The brokerage expects a possible US Federal Reserve (Fed) rate increase on Dec. 9, followed by another Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas hike on Dec. 17.

This scenario could limit gains in rate-sensitive stocks before year-end.

The Fed kept its benchmark rate at 3.75 to 4 percent at its latest meeting, the report noted.

Beyond quarterly earnings, F. Yap said management commentary would be crucial in assessing companies’ prospects.

With funding costs higher and the peso under pressure, the brokerage expects some property developers and conglomerates to reduce or postpone capital expenditures for 2027.

Such decisions could also affect cement producers and construction suppliers.

Gym workout amid Ebola? A doctor’s take

Kenyans do not need to stop going to the gym for fear of contracting Ebola through sweat, shared exercise equipment, or working out alongside an infected person, an infectious disease specialist has said.

Felix Riunga, consultant infectious diseases specialist at Aga Khan University Hospital, says that the risk of transmission in gyms is extremely low, as Ebola mainly spreads through contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person who is already showing symptoms of the illness.

‘The probability is extremely low,’ says Dr Riunga, explaining that the likelihood of infection depends on exposure circumstances and how the virus is spreading in a particular area.

He adds that this risk must be considered in the context of Kenya’s outbreak, where no evidence of widespread community transmission has been found.

Even if an infected person visited a gym, the likelihood of transmission would depend on their stage of illness and whether they left infectious body fluids on equipment that could enter another person’s body.

‘Most of the infections come from symptomatic patients, and people generally become more infectious as Ebola progresses,’ says Dr Riunga.

He says that the amount of virus in an infected person’s blood increases as symptoms develop, so people who are seriously ill are a greater concern in terms of transmission.

Ebola symptoms include fever, muscle aches and joint pain, so it is unlikely that someone seriously ill would exercise in a gym.

‘You can almost guarantee that’s not the person who will be at the gym,’ he says.

Dr Riunga also says that people should avoid confusing Ebola with Covid-19, as the latter can spread through infectious particles in the air.

‘You have to understand that it is a totally different infection,’ he says, adding that Ebola is not considered an airborne disease.

Instead, Ebola spreads when infectious blood or other bodily fluids enter another person’s body through broken skin or the eyes, nose, or mouth.

This means that sharing equipment such as treadmills, weights or exercise mats with an infected person does not automatically put someone at risk.

However, transmission is theoretically possible if infectious body fluids contaminate the equipment and another person subsequently comes into contact with the fluids through broken skin, or through their eyes, nose or mouth.

‘If I was with a highly infectious person, they could deposit all that on the treadmill. If my skin was broken, then that could be a route of exposure,’ says Dr Riunga.

The same principle applies to changing rooms, showers and locker rooms. The concern is contamination with infectious body fluids, not simply sharing the space.

Dr Riunga says that Ebola transmission is more commonly associated with households caring for infected people, healthcare workers treating patients, and people handling bodies during burial practices.

‘Almost all cases, like everything, fall into one of two categories: households or healthcare settings, where transmission is more commonly observed,’ he explains.

Although the risk at the gym is extremely low, the virus can survive outside the body under certain conditions.

‘Blood in particular has been shown to survive in the environment for various amounts of time. That’s why healthcare workers should take precautions when handling clothing and personal belongings of infected patients,’ says Dr Riunga.

However, this does not mean that every surface touched by an infected person poses a significant risk. Whether transmission could occur depends on the nature of the contamination and how another person comes into contact with it.

Dr Riunga therefore recommends that gym users continue to exercise while observing routine hygiene measures, such as wiping down equipment after use and carrying personal towels.

‘It’s not where you will get it. They should continue practising,’ he says, urging people not to abandon their exercise routines because of fears that gyms are likely sources of Ebola infection.

He adds that people should be careful not to stigmatise others based on their nationality or country of origin, emphasising that the location of individual cases is important when assessing the risk of exposure.

Dr Riunga also issues a warning about misinformation that leads people to deny an outbreak or disregard public health advice.

‘People think it’s not there, and the propaganda is that it’s made up,’ he says, warning that such beliefs can undermine efforts to control the disease.

Instead, he says, people need to recognise symptoms, seek medical attention, and cooperate with public health officials.

‘While good hygiene remains important, there is no reason to stop going to the gym solely out of fear of contracting Ebola through sweat or shared equipment,’ says Dr Riunga.

Deputy Minister to promote Cyprus as regional centre for innovation in California

The Deputy Minister for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Dr Nikodemos Damianou, is travelling to the United States of America (USA) today, following an invitation from the leadership of the international innovation network Plug and Play, to take part in the Plug and Play Silicon Valley Winter Summit, which will take place from 3 to 5 November 2026, in California. The Deputy Minister is accompanied by the Director-General of the Research and Innovation Foundation, Theodoros Loukaides.

According to a statement from the Deputy Ministry, the visit forms part of the Government’s wider effort to promote and highlight Cyprus as a regional centre for innovation and technology, strengthen the outward-looking nature of the Cypriot ecosystem, and foster new business and investment partnerships with the US.

As reported, during the Summit, the Deputy Minister will meet with Saeed Amidi, founder and CEO of Plug and Play, with a focus on further developing cooperation with Cyprus and capitalising on the opportunities offered by the organisation’s international network to connect Cypriot start-ups and innovative businesses with investors, business partners and international markets.

The official programme of the Summit also includes the ‘Cyprus and Innovation’ round-table event, organised by Cyprus Catalyst, attended by the Deputy Minister, as well as scientists and professionals from the Cypriot community in the USA. The discussion will focus on the progress and prospects of the Cypriot research, innovation and technology ecosystem, as well as on the role that the Cypriot diaspora can play in its further development and international promotion.

During his stay in the USA, the Deputy Minister will also hold a number of meetings with business bodies and organisations to explore new opportunities for cooperation in the fields of technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, and will return to Cyprus on Friday, 6 November 2026.

Marcos recounts eerie childhood experiences at Baguio’s The Mansion

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has recalled sensing an unexplained presence during his childhood visits to the Baguio Mansion House.

Also known as the official summer residence of the Philippine president, the mansion is shrouded in eerie tales of unexplained encounters shared by visitors and its caretakers.

‘Noong bata kami, pumupunta kami doon pag Holy Week. Siguro, hindi ko alam, baka imagination lang namin, pero talagang para kaming may nararamdaman,’ Marcos said at Radio Television Malacañang’s The Baguio Mansion House Horror Stories.

(When we were children, we used to go there during Holy Week. Maybe it was just our imagination, I don’t know, but we really felt a presence.)

He said such experiences were not limited to visitors, as the mansion’s caretakers had also shared accounts of unexplained sounds and occurrences.

‘Yung mga tumira doon, lalo na yung mga bantay doon. Sila mismo nagsasabi na talaga meron silang mga nararamdaman, may naririnig, may mga pangyayari na hindi nila masyadong ma-explain,’ Marcos said.

(Those who lived there, especially the caretakers, would tell us themselves that they experienced strange sensations, heard things, and witnessed events they could not fully explain.)

Marcos said these unexplained experiences could be linked to Baguio’s history during World War II, when intense fighting in the city claimed the lives of numerous American, Filipino, and Japanese soldiers.

‘Maraming na ano diyan noong gera, noong panahon ng giyera, yung labanan, matindi yung labanan sa Baguio, paakyat ng Baguio. Kaya’t maraming sundalo diyan ang nasawi, maraming casualty diyan na Amerikano, Pilipino, Hapon,’ he said.

(Many people died there during the war, when the fighting in Baguio was intense, particularly during the advance toward the city. Many soldiers were killed there, including Americans, Filipinos, and Japanese.)

‘Kaya’t siguro yung mga iba doon ay naiwan na sa Baguio at nakikibisita sa atin pagka tayo ay nakikibisita doon,’ he added.

(Perhaps some of them never left Baguio and still visit us whenever we go there.)

The Baguio Mansion House was originally built as the summer headquarters for governors-general during the American colonial period before becoming the official summer residence of the Philippine president.

MTN Nigeria’s profit jumps 55% as data demand drives earnings growth

MTN Nigeria’s profit after tax rose 55.3 percent to N1.17 trillion in the nine months ended September 2026, as strong data revenue growth, higher customer usage and improved operating efficiency lifted earnings at the telecommunications company.

The results highlight the growing contribution of data services to MTN’s business, with revenue from the segment increasing 35.8 percent to N2.68 trillion, accounting for about 58.5 percent of total service revenue.

MTN’s active data users increased 12 percent to 57.2 million, while average monthly data consumption per active user rose 16.2 percent to 15.3 gigabytes. This pushed network data traffic up 30.1 percent, according to the company’s third-quarter earnings release.

The figures show that growth is being driven not only by subscriber additions but also by deeper usage of existing services.

Data revenue grew considerably faster than active data users, indicating that increased consumption is contributing to the company’s earnings. However, MTN’s disclosures do not isolate the effects of higher usage from pricing changes or shifts in customer spending.

Total service revenue increased 23.7 percent to N4.59 trillion. Voice revenue grew 11.1 percent to N1.50 trillion, while digital revenue rose 24 percent to N88.3 billion. Fintech revenue, however, declined 25.9 percent to N97.5 billion, reflecting the suspension of its airtime and data credit service between April and June before its resumption under a multi-partner model.

Profitability grew faster than revenue. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased 36.8 percent to N2.62 trillion, while the EBITDA margin expanded 5.5 percentage points to 56.9 percent. Operating profit rose 38.2 percent to N1.99 trillion, while profit before tax climbed 59.4 percent to N1.80 trillion.

Operating expenses increased 8.5 percent, below the 23.7 percent growth in service revenue. Lower net finance costs, down 25.3 percent to N277 billion, also supported earnings. However, tax expense rose 67.6 percent to N630.47 billion, limiting the growth in profit after tax.

Rising data consumption has also increased the importance of network capacity. MTN’s capital expenditure, excluding leases, rose 14.2 percent to N864.8 billion. The company said investment supported network coverage, capacity, service quality and home broadband expansion.

Its fibre-to-the-home business carries approximately 13 percent of total data traffic, helping ease pressure on the mobile network, according to the earnings release.

Cash generation remained strong despite the investment programme. Net cash from operating activities increased 48.2 percent to N2.31 trillion, while free cash flow rose 57.5 percent to N1.17 trillion. Dividend payments amounted to about N860 billion during the period.

Total assets increased 10.6 percent to N5.97 trillion at September 30, from N5.40 trillion at December 2025. Property, plant and equipment rose to N2.33 trillion, while shareholders’ equity increased 53.8 percent to N843.91 billion. Borrowings declined to N333.32 billion from N527.67 billion.

Cash and cash equivalents fell to N380.99 billion from N632.50 billion, reflecting investment spending, dividend payments and other cash movements. MTN nevertheless ended September with a net cash position of N47.7 billion. Speaking on the nine-month result, Karl Toriola, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Executive Officer, said: ‘We continue to deliver on our efficiency programme, expanding margins and strengthening cash generation despite energy cost pressures, and these gains are increasingly structural. Our balance sheet is strong, with borrowings fully naira-denominated and at fixed rates, eliminating foreign currency and floating-rate exposure on our debt.

‘We enter the final quarter with confidence and remain on track to deliver our guidance. Our priorities are clear: sustain growth, protect margins, scale home broadband and rebuild fintech momentum, while creating sustainable value for all our stakeholders.’

MTN Nigeria shares trade at N850 currently on the NGX, and they boast the third-largest market capitalisation on the stock exchange at N17.8 trillion and have returned 61.45 percent year-to-date for their shareholders.

Alausa seeks TVET integration of sports training to expand youth employment

The Federal Government is considering integrating training programmes of the National Institute for Sports (NIS) into its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) initiative as part of efforts to expand employment opportunities for young Nigerians and address skills shortages in the sports sector.

Maruf Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, disclosed this during a meeting with Philip Shaibu, Director-General of the NIS, where both officials discussed ways to align sports training with the Federal Government’s vocational skills development programme.

The proposed integration would provide young Nigerians with access to practical training in sports-related fields, including coaching, sports management, exercise science, sports medicine, facility maintenance and sports technology.

Alausa in a statement signed by Ikharo Attah, his Special Adviser (Media and Communications), said the initiative would help equip young people with employable skills while strengthening the capacity of Nigeria’s sports industry to generate jobs.

He explained that the ministry was exploring how existing NIS programmes could fit into the TVET framework, subject to the necessary consultations and approvals.

The minister said a common curricular framework would be developed in collaboration with relevant regulatory and professional bodies, including the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), National Sports Commission and private-sector stakeholders.

The proposed curriculum would cover Sports and Exercise Science; Coaching and Development Science; Sports Management and Business; Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation; Sports Technology and Data Analytics; and Sports Law.

Basic training in coaching, sports instruction and sports-facility maintenance could also be incorporated, depending on programme requirements and approvals.

Alausa said the government was considering using NIS training centres across eight states to widen access to the proposed programmes. Training courses lasting up to six months could also be considered under the arrangement.

He said the TVET initiative had trained and graduated more than 250,000 Nigerians through approximately 1,200 centres within the preceding 12 to 18 months, with about 98 percent of the centres privately operated.

Participants in the programme receive a monthly stipend of ?30,000 during their training, he added.

The minister said extending the programme to sports-related occupations could create employment opportunities in areas such as groundskeeping, pitch maintenance, coaching and games instruction.

He also identified the need to build local capacity in sports services, noting that better-trained Nigerians could help reduce the sector’s reliance on foreign expertise and workers.

Shaibu, in his remarks, highlighted the shortage of qualified games masters and certified coaches in the country, describing it as a major challenge to sports development.

He said the NIS had expanded its training activities across the six geopolitical zones and graduated more than 1,000 coaches within a year.

According to him, the institute’s 2025-2035 strategic plan places emphasis on coach certification, groundsmen training and creating pathways for retiring athletes to acquire new skills and remain active in the sports industry.

Shaibu called for the integration of the institute’s basic training programmes into the national TVET initiative, saying the partnership would help address the shortage of skilled personnel while improving access to professional sports training.

The proposed collaboration is expected to link vocational training with employment opportunities across the sports value chain, although the scope and implementation framework will depend on further consultations between the relevant institutions.