Federal Gov’t To Train 7m Youths In Digital Skills

President Bola Tinubu has revealed plans to train seven (7) million young people in digital skills out which three million will be trained on technical talent programme in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and software development.

This was revealed on Wednesday in Abuja at the strategic youth leadership conference 2025, which has as its theme: “Youth and leadership, building a foundation for sustainable strategic leadership.”

Represented by the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, the president said the conference was aimed at preparing young Nigerians for leadership roles.

He outlined several initiatives being implemented by the administration, including the Nigerian Youth Academy, which was designed to train the seven million young people.

Olawande noted that youths play vital role in the country’s growth and must be equipped with the right skills, values, and mindset to lead.

He restated the federal government’s commitment to youth empowerment and national development through strategic leadership and capacity building.

The minister stressed this as the focus of the conference organised by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in collaboration with the National Defence College.

“The government is also working towards achieving 70 per cent digital literacy nationwide by 2027. Other programmes include a job creation initiative targeting over two million employment opportunities, a student loan scheme to increase access to higher education, a youth agricultural programme supporting thousands of young entrepreneurs, and a national youth fellowship aimed at promoting leadership in health and public service at the grassroots level,” he said.

In his welcome remarks, the Commandant of the National Defence College, Rear Admiral James Okosun said the conference was a deliberate effort to build strategic leadership capacity among young Nigerians.

He charged participants to contribute meaningfully to national security, development, and good governance.

Others speakers urged participants to apply what they have learnt in their communities, workplaces, and institutions to help shape the future of the country.