The Nigerian Government has launched a N10.5 billion Digital Training Academy (DTA) to equip more than 32,000 young Nigerians with digital skills needed to compete in the global economy.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this in Abuja at the official launch of the initiative.
Alausa said the academy was designed to address the country’s digital skills gap, improve employability and provide young Nigerians with opportunities to compete with their counterparts globally.
He described the initiative as a practical demonstration of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI).
According to him, the programme would link Nigerian talents with international learning platforms, professional certifications, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
Beneficiaries will undergo six months of training through platforms including Coursera and Pluralsight, with opportunities to obtain certifications from global technology companies.
“The programme would enable Nigerians to work remotely for companies and clients around the world without leaving the country,” he said.
The training will cover fields such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, fintech, product management and quantum computing.
Alausa urged professional bodies, academic institutions and international partners to support the programme and ensure its success.
“Today, we’re not merely unveiling an online learning portal. We’re opening a new pathway to opportunities for thousands of Nigerians.
“We’re connecting talents to world-class learning, learning to certification and certification to productive work, enterprise and national development,” he said.
The minister said the Federal Government had partnered with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) to provide study centres, internet access and facilitators for participants.
He said the arrangement would support learners who lacked computers, reliable internet access or suitable environments for online study.
Alausa added that the academy would also provide beneficiaries of the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme with a pathway to obtaining international certifications.
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He urged young Nigerians to seize the opportunity to acquire skills that could improve their livelihoods and employment prospects.
The Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, described the academy as an investment in people, knowledge and national capacity.
She said digital identity was essential to enabling Nigerians to securely access opportunities in education, employment, financial services and other areas of the digital economy.
“The DTA would provide job space that would build a one-trillion-dollar economy,” she said.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Education and TETFund, Mohammed Dandutse, encouraged young Nigerians to participate in the training to close the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skills.
He pledged the committee’s support for research and innovation aimed at improving the livelihoods of Nigerian youths.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, also urged beneficiaries to use the DTA to strengthen their skills for national development.
She said her ministry remained committed to expanding opportunities for Nigerians at home and abroad.
Oduwole explained that the DTA complemented the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP), which seeks to connect Nigerian professionals with international employers and buyers.
She said NATEP and its partners had recently launched “Hire from Nigeria” to link Nigerian professionals and service providers with global opportunities.
“The programme aims to facilitate one million export-linked, digitally enabled jobs by 2027,” she said.
