Nigeria flags off program to train 3m tech talents

Bosun Tijani, Nigeria's Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, officially launched a plan to train 3 million technical talents within the next four years last week. If successful, this initiative could contribute to President Bola Tinubu's ambitious goal of generating a million tech jobs within the first two years of his administration.

The 3MTT program will follow a 1-10-100 model, with the minister explaining that the plan involves testing a prototype with 1% of the target, equivalent to 30,000 individuals, during the initial three months. Remarkably, the program received around 2 million applications in less than 30 days for the first cohort.

The second cohort, consisting of 30,000 participants, is set to commence in February 2023. Insights gained from these initial batches will play a pivotal role in scaling the program to achieve the ambitious 3 million target. This program is crucial as Nigeria's unemployment rate is expected to rise beyond 40% this year, up from 33% in 2020.