FG reaffirms commitment to youth development via ICT

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to youth development through technology trainings to improve Nigeria’s tech ecosystem.

This position was reaffirmed by some stakeholders in government on Thursday at the three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Community Impact Summit & Hackathon in Abuja.

The theme for the event was “ The role of technology, talent in driving Nigeria’s digital economy”.

Mrs Abiodun Essiet, Senior Special Assistant to the President on community engagement (North Central), said that the 3MTT Programme was being driven by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE).

“It is an incubator for the digital education and skills desired to enhance the capacity and value of Nigerian youths.

“The 3MTT Programme is an affirmation of President Tinubu’s vision of factoring youth development into the overall national development strategy, ” she said.

She said that to lay a formidable framework towards achieving this, the administration was also prioritising the economic security of Nigerian youths, towards building a more secure and prosperous country.

According to her, the goal of the programme is to create a pipeline of technical talents across Nigeria.

“The Federal Government, led by President Bola Tinubu, has set up the structures to create three million jobs for youth through the three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Programme,’’ she said.

Mr Francis Sani, Technical adviser, innovation, entrepreneurship and capital to the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, said that 3MTT was a solution to the dearth of technical skills.

He said that it would also empower graduates with high-demand digital skills such as software development, UI/UX design, data analysis and visualisation, among others.

According to him, the lack of digital skills represent a major reason for unemployment among many youths and 3MTT offers a hybrid model of online and in-person training completed in about three months.

“The 3MTT’s goal of training three million Nigerians over the next few years and creating two million digital jobs by 2025 remains unmatched.

“Its current trajectory hints at a promising future for Nigeria’s tech generation.

“ Going by the implementation plans released by the government, the training will be held in multiple phases.

“The first phase, which is Cohort 1, accommodated 30,000 people, while 27,000 fellows were enrolled three months ago,’’ he said.

Some of the beneficiaries shared their experiences with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) about the impact of the programme and how it has helped improve their ICT skills.

Mercy Egwakhide, who participated in the data analysis classes, said that the guidance and resilience of the mentors and the teachers spurred her to complete her training.

She said that the indepth teachings of the foundational modules helped her better in her software skills.

“I found all the training sessions interesting. I am ready to provide more solutions to economic challenges and do more for my community,” Mercy said.

Nnana Nwogbo, a data science trainee, said that she found the programme enriching owing to the potential for career advancement and building his self-confidence.

“I have enjoyed the clear and concise approach of the course’s modules and the rigorous process motivated me,” he said.

Jamila Abubakar, who benefitted from the project management training said that the curriculum suited her learning preferences.

“I signed up for a course in product management hoping that this will add to my academic background in the social sciences,’’ she said.

NAN reports that the summit brought together 3MTT fellows, applied learning clusters in past Cohorts and stakeholders to share insights, celebrate achievements, and discuss the future of Nigeria’s tech ecosystem.