Tinubu says digital workforce key to Nigeria’s economic transformation

By Kunle Sanni –

President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to building a digital workforce capable of driving Nigeria’s long-term economic growth, describing technical talent as central to the country’s ambition of becoming a trillion-dollar economy.

Speaking on Thursday at the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) National Impact Summit and the launch of the 3MTT Digital Skills Fund in Abuja, the President — represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume — said the future of the economy will be shaped by productivity, innovation and globally competitive skills.

The 3MTT programme, launched in 2023 by the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, aims to train three million young Nigerians in critical tech skills, create two million tech jobs and position the country as an exporter of digital talent.

“Our ambition to build a trillion-dollar economy will not be achieved by chance,” Tinubu said. “Digital skills now underpin growth across every major sector of our economy. A strong digital workforce creates jobs, expands enterprise and positions Nigeria to participate competitively in the global marketplace.”

According to the President, more than 1.8 million Nigerians have applied to the programme from every local government area in the country, with 30,000 beneficiaries already trained.

He urged the trainees to see themselves as key contributors to Nigeria’s next phase of development.

Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, highlighted the appeal of Nigeria’s digital economy to investors and noted that the sector had more than 4.5 million job vacancies when Tinubu took office in 2023.

He said this gap informed the creation of what he described as the world’s largest technology talent accelerator.