By Janet Salihu
The Federal Government has launched the Digital Training Academy (DTA), a new initiative designed to equip 32,000 Nigerians with digital and professional skills that can translate into globally recognised certification, employment and entrepreneurship.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, CON, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while formally launching the academy, describing it as a practical response to Nigeria’s digital skills gap and a pathway for citizens to compete in the global economy.
Alausa said the initiative, implemented under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), was designed to connect Nigerians to quality learning, international certification and productive opportunities.
He said the Federal Government had partnered with global learning platforms, including Coursera and Pluralsight, to provide beneficiaries with free access to high-quality digital and professional training.
According to him, the training will cover high-demand areas such as software development, artificial intelligence and machine learning, IT automation, cybersecurity, cloud computing, natural language processing and quantum computing.
The Minister said the real measure of the programme would not be the number of people trained or certificates issued, but how beneficiaries deploy their skills to secure meaningful employment, improve businesses, create technology-driven enterprises and contribute to national development.
He explained that the programme would also address the digital divide by providing access centres equipped with internet connectivity and learning devices across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
Alausa said this was aimed at ensuring that lack of personal devices, reliable internet connectivity or the financial capacity to pay for international courses would not prevent Nigerians from benefiting from the initiative.
He added that applicants would register with their National Identification Numbers, provide information about their backgrounds and career interests, undergo pre-assessment and thereafter be placed on appropriate learning pathways.
The Minister said the academy would also create a pathway for beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme to obtain internationally recognised certifications, while linking the emerging pool of skilled Nigerians to opportunities under the National Talent Export Programme (NATEP).
He said the collaboration with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment would enable trained Nigerians to access export-oriented jobs, while the digital skills pipeline would complement existing government efforts to position Nigerian talent for the international labour market.
Alausa urged beneficiaries to approach the training with discipline and purpose, stressing that the Federal Government’s investment would only achieve its desired impact when participants translated their newly acquired knowledge into solutions, employment and enterprise.
He also called on employers, technology companies, professional bodies, educational institutions, development partners and state governments to support the academy through internships, mentorship, project-based learning and employment opportunities.
The Minister said the Digital Training Academy represented the Federal Government’s broader vision of building an education system where geography and financial circumstances would not determine access to relevant skills.
He expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for placing human capital development at the centre of the Renewed Hope Agenda, saying the administration would continue to expand access to quality education, embrace technology and ensure that learning leads to useful skills and decent livelihoods.
The Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, described the academy as an investment in human capital and national capacity, stressing that digital identity would remain critical to Nigerians’ secure access to education, employment and financial opportunities.
Also, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Education and TETFund, Mohammed Dandutse, urged Nigerian youths to take advantage of the programme to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and practical technical skills.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, said the DTA complemented the National Talent Export Programme, which seeks to connect Nigerian professionals and service providers with international employers and buyers.
She said NATEP and its partners had launched “Hire from Nigeria”, targeting one million export-linked, digitally enabled jobs by 2027.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings