NIGERIA’S NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN (NDP 2021-2025) AND JOB CREATION

The NDP 2021–2025 is anchored on six strategic objectives, with job creation as one of its central pillars. The plans success of the job creation agenda depends on the quality of its implementation and the extent to which it can overcome historical constraints that have undermined the effectiveness of past development plans. This study examines the effect of the Nigerian National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-2025 on job creation, using Keynesian economic theory as its theoretical framework. Guided by two specific objectives: To excavate the challenges facing the plan in its effort to create jobs in Nigeria and to explore the plan’s positive and negative effects on job creation. The study employs a documentary research design anchored in a qualitative, literature-based approach. Secondary data were extensively collected from books, academic journals, government documents, newspapers and credible online sources to interpret past trends and gain a clearer perspective on current policy outcomes. Findings reveal that the NDP has yielded mixed results. Positively, it stimulated job creation through targeted digital economy initiatives, youth entrepreneurship support, and private sector-led interventions that expanded opportunities in urban areas and emerging industries. Conversely, its job creation goals have been undermined by macroeconomic instability, inflationary pressures, exchange rate volatility, institutional and governance weaknesses, infrastructural deficits, insecurity, urban-rural digital divide, structural barriers and insufficient sub-national engagement. The study concludes that while the NDP introduced transformative programs, its impact on broad-based, inclusive and sustainable employment has been limited by these structural and economic challenges. To strengthen future job creation outcomes, the study recommends stabilizing the macroeconomic environment, enhancing sub-national alignment with federal plans, investing in rural digital infrastructure and skills, and addressing critical infrastructural gaps in energy and transportation. These steps are essential to unlock the plan’s full potential and ensure that national development translates into sustainable employment opportunities across Nigeria.