The Federal Government has announced plans to train 20 million young Nigerians in digital skills by 2030, as part of a broader strategy to combat youth unemployment and position the country competitively in the global digital economy.

Vice President Kashim Shettima disclosed the initiative after a high-level meeting with officials of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Abuja. The programme is being implemented under the Generation Unlimited Nigeria (GenU 9JA) platform, a public-private-youth initiative aimed at expanding access to digital tools and economic opportunities.

“This initiative opens a window of opportunities for our young people,” Shettima said in a statement issued by his office on Monday. “If we want to thrive in a fast-changing world, we must empower our youth through digital skills.”

The Vice President, who has accepted to chair the board of GenU 9JA, emphasized that the programme aligns with the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda and rests on three foundational pillars: digital connectivity, transition from learning to earning, and youth empowerment.

According to UNICEF Deputy Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Rownak Khan, Nigeria is already one of the top-performing countries globally in youth-focused digital development under the Generation Unlimited framework. Since its launch in 2022, GenU 9JA has reached over 10 million Nigerian youths and secured more than 1,500 job placements, according to Celine Lafoucriere, Chief of UNICEF’s Lagos Field Office.

Despite these gains, Nigeria still faces a wide digital skills gap. A 2023 survey by Nigerian edtech company GetBundi revealed that over 100 million Nigerian youths lack basic digital literacy. Of 100 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members surveyed, only 19 possessed any form of digital skills—mostly limited to Microsoft Excel—while advanced competencies such as programming and data science were nearly absent among locally trained graduates.

Education stakeholders have long decried the outdated curriculum in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, which often fail to equip students with practical, tech-driven skills required for today’s workforce.

The current push builds upon earlier programmes like the Digital Nigeria Programme, launched in 2020 to offer free online training in emerging technologies, and the Digital Literacy Drive by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), which targets rural and underserved populations.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohammed Fall, reaffirmed the United Nations’ commitment to supporting Nigeria’s goals in youth employment, digital skills development, and inclusive growth.

“As a country with one of the largest youth populations in the world, Nigeria’s investment in digital education is not just critical—it is transformative,” Fall stated.