The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, has sealed a N1 billion deal with IHS Towers to build learning communities across the federation for the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme.

The deal, which is a three-year partnership, would see IHS Nigeria establish the 3MTT Learning Community, a nationwide learning initiative, to empower Nigerians with critical digital skills.

The 3MTT programme is a critical part of the Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at building Nigeria’s technical talent backbone to power its digital economy and position it as a net talent exporter.

Already, in the first phase, which targeted training 30, 000 Nigerians, over 330,000 people have applied.

The partnership would facilitate the setting up of learning communities in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and provide opportunities for the 3MTT participants to gather weekly, learn, collaborate and build projects. The establishment of the learning communities will also strengthen local innovation ecosystems nationwide.

Under the partnership, IHS Nigeria would provide financial support and industry expertise, as well as pay salaries of the 37 dedicated learning community managers, in addition to providing access to a learning platform that supports the 3MTT talent development efforts.

Commenting on the initiative, the Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, acknowledged that the funding by IHS Nigeria was a significant commitment that would boost the ministry’s efforts to generate a pipeline of technical talents to achieve President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda objectives.

On his X handle, he wrote: “I am excited to announce a N1 billion partnership between the @FMoCDENigeria and @IHSTowers to establish the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Learning Community. This initiative, which is in support of our recently launched 3MTT programme, will facilitate the setup of learning communities in the 36 states and the FCT.’’

“The N1 billion funding from IHS Towers also includes a commitment to paying the salaries of 37 dedicated learning community managers for each location for the next three years. This is the first in a number of partnerships that we will be securing in support of our targets, specifically for the 3MTT programme and broadly for the knowledge pillar in our Strategic Blueprint.”

IHS Nigeria’s CEO, Mohamad Darwish, explained: “At IHS Nigeria, we take pride in giving back to the people and communities, where we operate. We are delighted to partner with the Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy and his ministry on the 3MTT initiative. We share the government’s commitment to Nigeria’s economic empowerment and growth, and hope this initiative will feed into President Bola Tinubu’s agenda on job creation, while enhancing technical skills.”