EU, World Bank back FG’s skills programme

The European Union and the World Bank are backing the Federal Government of Nigeria as the country scales up its Three Million Technical Talent programme with support in a renewed push to equip young people with digital skills and connect them to global job opportunities.

The 3MTT programme is a flagship initiative of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy. Its primary goal is to train three million Nigerians in key technical skills by 2027, thereby building a robust digital workforce to power Nigeria’s economy and position the country as a global exporter of tech talent.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijjani, said the 3MTT initiative, billed as the world’s largest talent accelerator, is central to President Bola Tinubu’s vision for human capital development.

“When we came in, he said we must create one million technical jobs,” Tijjani told TVC recently. “That’s why we started the 3MTT programme… Every state I travel to, I meet young participants who are now gaining new skills and access to real opportunities.”

The programme, which began in 2023 with a pilot phase involving one per cent of its target, is now expanding rapidly. “We shifted to 10 per cent last year to learn what’s working,” Tijjani said. “Now we’re going full scale.”

According to the minister, the European Union has committed over €11m to support the programme. The World Bank is also analysing the initiative’s impact as part of a broader effort to scale up youth employment solutions.

Unlike past government-led training schemes, 3MTT has emphasised job placement alongside skills acquisition. Tijjani said partnerships with private companies and international organisations such as the United Nations Development Programme, which pays internship salaries for participants, have helped thousands of beneficiaries gain practical work experience.

He added that the government will soon launch Talent City, a new initiative that will convert public buildings into business process outsourcing hubs capable of hosting global service firms. The move is aimed at tapping into the growing demand for English-speaking talent in the BPO industry, a sector long dominated by countries such as India and the Philippines.

“We’re starting with the Digital Bridge Institute in Lagos and working with state governments to renovate iconic buildings like the Standard Building to house more outsourcing operations,” he said.

Tijjani stressed that the government is taking a data-driven approach. “We’re not just throwing numbers around. This is about people’s lives,” he said.