Digital transformation is accelerating in Africa. The Nigerian government is multiplying initiatives to facilitate this transformation and bring the benefits of the digital economy to the people.
The federal government has announced that it has signed a partnership agreement with Chinese Huawei and American Cisco to train Nigerian citizens on advanced ICT. The objective of this initiative is to prepare populations for the forthcoming fourth industrial revolution.
Under this tripartite partnership, at least 300 academies will be established across Nigeria. They should make it possible to train no less than 30,000 people.
According to Isa Pantami (pictured), Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, this initiative is part of the government’s efforts to achieve the goal of 95% digital literacy in the country by 2030 Earlier this year, the government signed a similar deal with Microsoft to train 5 million Nigerians, including in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). These ambitions are mentioned in the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy 2020-2030 , unveiled in November 2021 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
This training should provide people with the necessary digital skills in view of the digital transformation that is accelerating on the African continent, as well as the Nigerian government’s e-government and digital economy ambitions. According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), ICT contributed 12.61% to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2021.