The Federal Ministry of Education has enrolled 16,000 Nigerians in the inaugural cohort of its Digital Training Academy (DTA), a free Federal Government initiative aimed at equipping young Nigerians with globally recognised digital skills.

National Coordinator, Special Projects and Innovation Unit (SPOIU), Federal Ministry of Education, Adebayo Onibanjo, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at ahead of the national launch of the academy scheduled for next Monday.

Onibanjo said the academy received 72,850 applications from Nigerians across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory during its registration window, which opened on August 17 and closed on September 1.

He said 19,699 applicants met the qualifying benchmark, out of which 16,000 learners were selected for the inaugural cohort.

The DTA is being implemented under the Nigeria Education Digital Infrastructure (NEDI) programme, a flagship intervention of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI).

According to the ministry, the initiative is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to develop a highly skilled workforce capable of competing in the global digital economy, while complementing existing government investments in digital skills development.

Training for the first cohort will be delivered through two international learning platforms, Coursera and Pluralsight.

The ministry said the programme aligns with the human capital development objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda and forms part of the Data and Digitalisation pillar of NESRI.

Onibanjo quoted the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, as describing the academy as “the next phase of President Tinubu’s commitment to building a highly skilled workforce capable of competing in the global digital economy.”

He said the 16,000-member inaugural cohort was only the beginning of the academy’s national ambition.

“This cohort of 16,000 is DTA’s first, not its last. It represents a significant step toward the Academy’s national ambition, and it establishes the foundation, the systems, and the delivery partnerships on which subsequent cohorts will be built,” Onibanjo said.

The ministry is expected to unveil further details on the academy’s expansion plans and future cohorts at its national launch on September 14.