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72,850 applied, 19,699 met qualifying benchmark
The Federal Government has selected 16,000 Nigerians for the maiden cohort of its Digital Training Academy (DTA), following an overwhelming response that saw 72,850 applications received from across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The National Coordinator, Special Projects and Innovation Unit (SPOIU), Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Adebayo Onigbanjo, disclosed this on Wednesday at a media briefing ahead of the national launch of the Digital Training Academy scheduled for September 14, 2026.
According to him, 19,699 applicants met the qualifying benchmark and were confirmed eligible for placement, from which 16,000 learners were enrolled in the first cohort.
He further explained that the DTA is a free Federal Government-backed digital skills initiative under the Nigeria Education Digital Infrastructure (NEDI) programme, a flagship intervention of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI).
“The academy was designed to equip young Nigerians with globally recognised, in-demand digital skills and certifications at no cost to the beneficiaries.”
The coordinator said the initiative was a direct response to President Bola Tinubu’s directive to develop a generation of young Nigerians capable of competing and succeeding in the global digital economy.
He explained that the maiden cohort was deliberately structured to complement existing government skills development programmes.
“Beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme were also integrated into this cohort,” he said.
He added that learners nominated through partner institutions, including Yaba College of Technology and the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), were also enrolled, disclosing that training for the beneficiaries would be delivered through two global learning platforms, Coursera and Pluralsight.
“Coursera will provide training in six specialised areas: Cybersecurity; Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; Financial Technology; Product Management; Natural Language Processing; and Quantum Computing, while Pluralsight will train participants in Agentic AI, Proactive Security, IT Automation and Cloud Computing,” he explained.
The coordinator further stated that the academy was not merely focused on skills acquisition but also on ensuring that participants obtained certifications that could enhance their competitiveness in the international labour market.
“Our objective is not merely to train young Nigerians; it is to certify them to a standard that opens doors anywhere in the world for Nigerian youth,” he said.
He urged successful applicants to log into their accounts and accept their licence offers so they could commence their classes immediately.
“The 16,000 learners constitute only the first cohort of the academy, with subsequent cohorts expected as the programme expands.”
He said the maiden cohort would establish the foundation, systems and delivery partnerships required for future phases of the programme.
The coordinator quoted the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, as saying that the academy represented the next phase of President Tinubu’s commitment to building a highly skilled workforce capable of competing in the global digital economy.
He also cited President Tinubu’s emphasis on equipping Nigerians with the skills required for the global digital economy.
The coordinator expressed appreciation to the applicants, partner institutions, learning partners and the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy for their contributions to the initiative.
