The Federal Government has launched a six-month Digital Training Academy aimed at equipping 32,000 Nigerians with globally relevant digital skills, professional certifications and opportunities in employment and entrepreneurship.

The Federal Ministry of Education said the programme was designed to address Nigeria’s digital skills gap and prepare more citizens to participate in the global digital economy.

The academy is being implemented under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative through the Nigeria Education Digital Infrastructure programme, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Alausa, said the government received 72,850 applications from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

He said 19,699 applicants met the entry requirements, while 16,000 beneficiaries were selected for the inaugural cohort.

Participants will receive training in high-demand fields including software development, cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, cloud computing, IT automation, Natural Language Processing and quantum computing.

The ministry said beneficiaries would have access to international learning platforms such as Coursera and Pluralsight, alongside professional certification opportunities from organisations including Google, IBM and Huawei.

The government will provide computers, internet connectivity, access centres, facilitators and mentors to support the programme.

The initiative is being implemented in partnership with the National Open University of Nigeria and Yaba College of Technology.

The ministry said the academy would go beyond skills acquisition by tracking certification, employment and enterprise outcomes to establish a measurable link between training and economic opportunities.

It said the programme would be expanded beyond the inaugural 16,000 beneficiaries to reach the planned 32,000 participants.

The government described the intervention as part of its broader efforts to develop a digitally skilled workforce capable of competing in the international technology and services market.