Eshioromeh Sebastian in Abuja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared his administration’s resolve to lay the foundation for a massive digital workforce that will power Nigeria’s economic transformation, targeting a trillion-dollar economy driven by innovation and technical skills.
The President announced the launch of the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Digital Skills Fund at the programme’s National Impact Summit held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja on Thursday, an event where he was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
“Our ambition to build a trillion-dollar economy will not be achieved by chance. It requires productivity, innovation and a workforce whose skills meet global standards. Digital skills now underpin growth across every major sector of our economy, including agriculture, healthcare, finance, manufacturing, education and public service”, President Tinubu stated in his address.
Launched in 2023 by the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, the 3MTT programme aims to train three million young Nigerians in critical technical skills, create two million tech jobs, and position Nigeria as a net exporter of digital talent.
“From passive consumers of technology to active creators and exporters of talent, the 3MTT programme will unlock opportunities, empower young people and strengthen our long-term economic prospects,” the President added, revealing that over 1.8 million applications were received from every local government in the country.
The initiative has already seen tangible results, with 30,000 young Nigerians completing training. The President charged them to remain focused, describing them as the core workforce that will drive the nation’s next phase of development on a digital foundation.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, disclosed that when the Tinubu administration took office in 2023, there were over 4.5 million vacant jobs in the technology sector globally, a gap which the 3MTT programme was strategically designed to fill.
“This led to the resolve to establish the world’s largest technology talent accelerator in 3MTT, for the sole purpose of training premium technical talent, not just for the Nigerian market,” Dr. Tijani said.
The event featured compelling testimonies from beneficiaries like Hauwa Yakubu Aliyu from Jigawa State, who used skills gained from the programme to empower local farmers with greenhouse technology and represented Nigeria at the Huawei ICT Tech4Good Global Summit in China. Another beneficiary, Adelani Adelaja, a military personnel from Lagos, developed logistics solutions that enhanced his unit’s operations.
The programme received a significant boost with the European Union pledging $48 million in support of the Digital Skills Fund. The EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Gautier Mignot, formalised the commitment at the summit.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) also applauded the initiative, with its Resident Representative, Elsie Attafuah, praising the administration’s courageous reforms, stating that “Nigeria has chosen reform over retreat, courage over comfort, and the future over the past.”
Major private sector partners including Google, Moniepoint, Airtel, IHS, Secure ID, and HUAWEI commended the government’s commitment to building technical capacity and improving the business environment for telecom and tech enterprises.
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