President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has unveiled an ambitious plan by the Federal Government to train seven million Nigerian youths in digital skills, as part of a national strategy to achieve 70 percent digital literacy by 2027.
The announcement was made on Wednesday in Abuja during the 2025 Strategic Youth Leadership Conference, themed “Youth and Leadership: Building a Foundation for Sustainable Strategic Leadership.” Representing the President at the event, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, explained that three million of the participants would take part in a specialized technical talent program covering artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software development, and other cutting-edge fields.
According to Olawande, the initiative will be driven through the Nigerian Youth Academy and forms part of a broader framework designed to equip young Nigerians not only with digital skills but also with values, resilience, and leadership-oriented mindsets essential for national progress. He emphasized that the government’s push for digital literacy is aligned with its wider agenda of job creation, youth empowerment, and sustainable economic development.
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Beyond digital training, the Federal Government also outlined complementary initiatives, including a job creation scheme expected to generate over two million opportunities, a student loan program to expand access to higher education, a youth agricultural program aimed at supporting agri-entrepreneurs, and a national youth fellowship to nurture grassroots leadership in public service and healthcare.
Rear Admiral James Okosun, Commandant of the National Defence College, described the conference as a “strategic intervention” to strengthen the leadership capacities of Nigerian youths, stressing that participants must apply their knowledge to advance national security, governance, and socio-economic development.
Other keynote speakers echoed similar sentiments, urging young Nigerians to leverage the opportunities created by the government’s digital roadmap to drive innovation, transform their communities, and prepare the country for the demands of a technology-driven future.
The initiative positions Nigeria on a fast track to becoming one of Africa’s leading digital economies, with millions of youths expected to form the backbone of the nation’s transition into a knowledge-driven society.
