NITDA scales up digital skills initiative for 1m Nigerians

The National Information Technology Development Agency said on Sunday that its collaboration with the Renewed Hope Initiative has already produced more than one million digitally trained Nigerians, including 320 women who recently completed the Women ICT Training Empowerment Programme.

The closing ceremony for the 2024 cohort was held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa and hosted by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who also serves as National Chairman of the initiative.

The programme aims to expand digital inclusion and provide participants with the skills needed to take part in Nigeria’s growing digital economy, the IT regulator said in a statement.

Speaking at the event, the First Lady congratulated the graduates and encouraged them to embrace small beginnings, noting, “One day, somebody will notice your efforts.”

She announced that similar ICT training programmes would soon be extended to wives of executives and urged participants from all geopolitical zones to apply their skills to pursue growth and build a digital future.

NITDA Director-General Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, said the programme aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in economic diversification, human capital development, and digital inclusivity.

He emphasised that technology thrives on skilled people, which led to the development of the National Digital Literacy Framework targeting 95 per cent digital literacy by 2030, with a mid-term goal of 70 per cent by 2027.

Inuwa highlighted the programme’s growth over three years: 35 women were trained in 2023, 252 in 2024, and 320 in 2025, bringing the total number of women beneficiaries to over 600.

Overall, NITDA has trained more than 1,000,143 Nigerians, including 32,000 civil servants, in digital literacy and related skills under the current administration.

He urged the graduates to return to their communities, apply their new skills, and mentor at least two to three other women, underscoring the initiative’s objective of cascading digital knowledge nationwide.

Participants expressed appreciation for the training, noting that it had equipped them with the practical skills and confidence needed to thrive in Nigeria’s digital economy.