 program. The announcement came as he concluded the first phase of the initiative, which aimed to empower 3 million Nigerians with technical skills.){kind=link}
According to Dr. Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, by February 29, 2023, an additional 270,000 Nigerians are set to enroll in the Federal Government’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program. The announcement came as he concluded the first phase of the initiative, which aimed to empower 3 million Nigerians with technical skills.
Providing an update on the program’s progress, Minister Tijani stated, “As we wrap up the first phase of the @3MTTNigeria programme, I am pleased to provide an update on our progress so far. First, we can confirm that fellows selected for the 2nd phase of the 3MTT programme will be announced on Thursday, February 29th, 2024, with a projected training start date in March.”
Highlighting the accomplishments of the first phase, Tijani mentioned that the initial cohort of 30,000 individuals underwent training in 12 skill areas over the past few months. He acknowledged the lessons learned from the first phase and expressed the ministry’s commitment to continuous improvement in subsequent phases.
Looking ahead, the minister remarked, “As we move into the next phase of an additional 270,000 fellows to be trained over the next 18 months, we are encouraged by the growing support from partners and stakeholders in our journey to deliver 3 million technical talents by 2027.”
Tijani disclosed that more than 1,400 organizations are interested in accepting fellows from the program’s first cohort. Phase 2 of the ministry’s initiative will be conducted in three cohorts and is anticipated to conclude by September 2025.
Tech Skills from the 3 Million Technical Talent Program
The 3 Million Technical Talent program encompasses a wide range of tech skills. Including Software Development, UI/UX Design, Data Analysis and Visualization, Quality Assurance, Product Management, Data Science, Animation, AI/Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, Game Development, Cloud Computing, and Dev Ops.
In 2023 a similar talent hackathon organized by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) was launched to foster innovative research and bolster indigenous content. This initiative was geared towards spurring the development of pioneering technologies, with the ultimate goal of driving sustainable economic progress in Nigeria. The NCC extended a warm invitation to tech hubs and innovation-driven enterprises (IDEs) across Nigeria to participate in the Talent Hunt Research.