The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has announced a N3 billion support from MTN Nigeria for the government’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) initiative.
The Minister announced this on Tuesday, emphasising that public-private partnerships are key to the success of Nigeria’s digital transformation.
“I acknowledge MTN Nigeria’s long-term support for the 3MTT Nigeria program, with a cumulative investment of N3 billion since inception,” the Minister stated, suggesting that the telco has been supporting the program long before now.
In March this year, the government had also announced that it received N1 billion grant from Airtel Africa Foundation to boost the initiative.
The Minister noted that MTN, as an early supporter of the initiative, has played a vital role in enabling inclusive access to digital skills for thousands of young Nigerians across the country.
“This kind of sustained collaboration is what drives our vision of building a future-ready workforce and positioning Nigeria as a net-exporter of technical talent.
As we scale the 3MTT Program, we look forward to deepening our partnerships with the private sector to unlock more opportunities for our people and economy,” Tijani stated.
Aside from the recent donation from Airtel Foundation and MTN’s N3 billion grant, the Ministry had earlier signed a N1 billion deal with telecom infrastructure company, IHS Tower, to build learning communities across Nigeria for the 3MTT program.
The Minister had explained that the N1 billion funding from IHS Towers also included a commitment to paying the salaries of 37 dedicated learning community managers for each location for three years.
According to Tijani, the 3MTT program is a critical part of the Renewed Hope agenda and is aimed at building Nigeria’s technical talent backbone to power its digital economy and position Nigeria as a net talent exporter.
The program started with 30,000 Nigerians, representing 1% of the 3 million target, while another 270,000 were later selected for the second cohort to bring the number to 10%.
To achieve the program’s target, Tijani said the different phases will be executed based on the framework co-created with key stakeholders across government agencies, training providers, educational institutions, development agencies, and the private sector.
Some of the skills Nigerians are being trained on include skills that utilise technology to enhance various roles without directly involving tech creation.
These include Digital Marketing, Project Management Software, Cloud Platforms Navigation, Data Analysis and Visualisation, Digital Marketing, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), CRM Management, Accounting Software, Graphics Design, and UX/UI Design, among several others.
