The Federal Government of Nigeria entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft to train 5 million Nigerians on digital skills. Microsoft said it will partner with the Federal Government and other stakeholders to launch a three-year training program in Nigeria, which will help build its local talent pool. On Wednesday, October 12, 2022, Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and digital technology, made this announcement. The agreement was made during the GITEX 2022 in Dubai.
The initiative is aligned with the Ministry’s strategy for the digital economy, which aims to spur national economic growth. Pantami asserts that by providing digital training to five million Nigerians, Microsoft is also fulfilling its CSR obligations. He also stated that the execution of the MOU would begin soon.
How will this new development benefit Nigerians?
27,000 new digital jobs are anticipated to be created through this partnership in the next three years. Some of the objectives of the MOU include the training of 1 million job seekers in the modern workplace’s most important digital skills, the certification of 200,000 learners, and the upskilling of 1,700 Master Trainers.
200,000 Nigerians would get the chance to set up profiles and find employment with Microsoft partners and clients. The 30 Days of Data Platform program will involve and train at least 1000 students in data and artificial intelligence. On the other hand, 1000 developers would receive low code, no code training through Microsoft-led skilling programs as part of the low Code October program. Within 30 days of the Microsoft Graph initiative, another 100 kids will be upskilled in data and intelligence work tasks.
Under the Global Power Platform Bootcamp, over 5500 developers would also learn how to use Microsoft’s PowerApps to create technological solutions. In a 30-day learning program for students, 290 students will learn technical skills in the Microsoft technology stack, increasing their prospects of finding employment. The Azure Nigeria Community Conference would be attended by 5000 Nigerians, according to the MOU. As part of the agreement, 17,000 Master Trainers will receive training in basic and intermediate digital skills, and 27,000 youths will be exposed to better job prospects.
Why should you learn a digital skill?
The benefits of learning digital skills include:
- It can help you get a well-paying job. Digital skills are in high demand across all sectors of the economy, especially in IT and technology companies, banks and financial institutions, and insurance companies among others.
- To earn extra income. You can earn extra cash by just using your computer or mobile phone. Anyone who knows how to surf the web can make money online by doing freelance work such as UI/UX design, data analytics, web development, or social media management jobs.
- You will be able to communicate with people across the world and make connections that can change your life.
- You will be able to apply for jobs or start businesses online which will allow you to have more freedom and flexibility to do what matters most.
- Digital skills are needed for many jobs in Nigeria today, so if you want to keep up with the times and stay relevant then learning them is a must.
What is Digital Nigeria all about?
On June 12, 2019, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, declared his intention to end extreme poverty for 100 million Nigerians within the next ten years. Following this objective and the goal of diversifying the economy, all sectors are collaborating to accomplish the long-term goal of poverty reduction. The President approved renaming the Federal Ministry of Communications as the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, acknowledging the crucial role that digital technology may play in this process.
A day has also been set aside to encourage the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy. The day is recognized as “Digital Nigeria Day” and is observed annually on October 24. The United Nations has also designated October 24 as “World Development Information Day.” Digital Nigeria Day offers an occasion to recognize and highlight noteworthy cases of the growth of the digital economy in Nigeria.
Another essential part of the Digital Nigeria program, which aims to equip innovators and entrepreneurs with the skills they need to succeed in the developing digital economy, is the Digital Nigeria eLearning Platform. Over 16,000 users registered on the network within 24 hours of its inception. Of the registrants, nearly 6,000 had finished a minimum of one training course and received a certificate.
The platform aims to give young people in Nigeria valuable digital skills. You can gain access to this platform through their website or mobile app. They provide a variety of courses in web development, content creation, and data science, among other topics.
To generate nine million employment in Africa’s digital economy over the next ten years, the platform makes use of the African Development Bank’s Coding for Employment project and forges connections between the public and private sectors.
Conclusion
If you’ve always wanted to learn a digital skill, this is a big opportunity you should not take for granted. Take advantage of it. The need for digital skills is growing rapidly, especially in Nigeria.
As a country, we are yet to fully harness the potential of technology and this is why we believe that Nigerians should learn digital skills. This is because learning digital skills will help them create wealth, reduce poverty and make our lives better as individuals, families, and communities.
Our Research Analyst: Endurance Igbru
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