Microsoft empowers four million Nigerians with digital skills

Microsoft said on Tuesday that its longstanding partnership with the federal government had delivered digital training to over four million people since 2021.

The director of government affairs for Microsoft West Africa, Nonye Ujam, disclosed this at a media roundtable in Lagos. Ms Ujam said that the milestone underscored Nigeria’s commitment to thriving in the digital economy. She added that recent figures indicated that 350,000 individuals have been actively engaged in its specialised students’ programmes.

”With 63,000 completing specific training pathways and 43,000 receiving global certification,” she said. Ms Ujam announced additional training of 350,000 Nigerians in artificial intelligence skills, describing it as a major milestone in its National Skills Initiative.

The Microsoft executive further said that, apart from the federal government, the skills initiative was also being carried out in collaboration with Data Science, Nigeria, and Lagos Business School.

Ms Ujam said that the milestone reaffirmed Microsoft’s commitment to transforming Nigeria’s digital landscape to upskill five million citizens.
“Microsoft is equipping developers for the future through developer-focused programmes, creating a strong pipeline of technical talent.

“Also, through government-driven initiatives like Developers in Government (and the three Million Technical Talent Initiative led by the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, developers in public sectors have gained new skills,” Ms Ujam explained.

According to her, around 645 participants have been trained in analytics and AI integration. She said that another 1,000 developers learned advanced skills in areas such as DevOps, machine learning and data science.
“These efforts are helping Nigeria’s workforce prepare for the future by advancing AI fluency across the digital ecosystem,” the Microsoft director said.

Also, the country general manager, Microsoft Nigeria and Ghana, Abideen Yusuf, said that Nigeria’s current AI adoption rate stood at 8.7 per cent, slightly below the Sub-Saharan average of 10 per cent.

Mr Yusuf said that, with Africa’s Gross Domestic Product projected to grow by $1.5 trillion from AI by 2030, Nigeria must position its youth population, with a median age of 18 years, to lead in this sector.

“Nigeria cannot afford to wait. AI is reshaping every sector, and the countries that move fastest on skills will lead. We are focusing on three key indices: the frontier (innovation), Infrastructure (connectivity and power), and most importantly, skills,” he said.

According to Yusuf, by collaborating with the government to equip leaders, developers and tech users, Microsoft is building a future-ready workforce.

It is also helping Nigerians adopt and adapt the technology, thereby maximising its potential, the country’s general manager noted. NAN