Tinubu unveils 3MTT digital skills fund for youth empowerment

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced that his administration is laying the foundation for a digitally skilled workforce to drive Nigeria’s economic transformation and shared prosperity.

Speaking on Thursday at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, Tinubu chaired the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) National Impact Summit and formally launched the 3MTT Digital Skills Fund.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, represented him at the event.

The 3MTT programme, launched in 2023 by the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, aims to train three million young Nigerians in critical technical skills, create two million tech jobs, and export surplus talent.

Tinubu said the programme is central to his vision of building a trillion-dollar economy, stressing that digital skills are essential for productivity, innovation, and competitiveness across all sectors, including agriculture, healthcare, finance, manufacturing, education, and public service.

“Digital skills are not just an enabler of economic stability and growth but also a veritable source of job creation for our young and enterprising population,” he said, adding that the programme empowers youths to become active creators and exporters of technology talent.

Tinubu encouraged the 30,000 trained participants to see themselves as the workforce that will power Nigeria’s next chapter of development.

Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, highlighted Nigeria’s digital economy as one of the most attractive on the continent for investment.

He noted that when Tinubu assumed office in 2023, over 4.5 million tech jobs were vacant, prompting the establishment of 3MTT as the world’s largest technology talent accelerator.

Beneficiaries of the programme shared stories of how 3MTT has transformed their lives.

Hauwa Yakubu Aliyu from Jigawa State said the programme enabled her to empower farmers to adopt greenhouse farming methods and gave her the opportunity to represent Nigeria at the Huawei ICT Tech4Good Global Summit in China.

Adelani Adelaja, a military officer from Lagos, explained how the programme allowed him to develop logistics solutions and train colleagues in digital skills.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) representative, Elsie Attafuah, commended the Tinubu administration for its economic reforms, while the European Union pledged $48 million in support of the 3MTT Digital Skills Fund.

Partners including Google, Moniepoint, Airtel, IHS, Secure ID, and Huawei also praised the administration for enhancing Nigeria’s technical capacity and providing a favorable environment for telecom businesses.

The 3MTT initiative underscores the government’s commitment to equipping Nigerian youths with the skills necessary to participate in a globally competitive digital economy and to drive long-term national development.