FG Woos Training Firms With N4bn 3MTT Funding

The federal government has opened applications for the fifth cohort of its 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme’s Delivery Network, making about N4 billion available to organisations and experts involved in training Nigerians in digital and technical skills.

The funding is expected to support organisations capable of equipping participants with industry-relevant competencies and connecting them to employment, freelance engagements and other economic opportunities.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, announced the commencement of applications on Wednesday, explaining that the funding would be tied to measurable outcomes rather than the number of people trained.

In a statement announcing the programme, Tijani said: “Today, I am pleased to open applications for the @3MTTNigeria Delivery Network, with about ₦4 billion available for verified outcomes in Cohort 5, funded by the @EUinNigeria and Denmark through GIZ, HAUS and ESTDEV, alongside a grant from the @macfound.”

He explained that the Delivery Network was designed to bring together organisations committed to equipping Nigerians with practical skills and connecting them to genuine economic opportunities.

According to him, organisations capable of providing verified opportunities for programme participants, known as Fellows, or establishing clear pathways to such opportunities, can apply as Funded Delivery Partners, either independently or through a consortium.

“Organisations and individual experts who can train people, with or without a physical space, can join as Enabled Delivery Partners,” the minister said.

The programme provides two partnership pathways: Funded and Enabled Delivery Partnerships. While the former offers financial support based on agreed rates and verified results, the latter provides national recognition, access to shared training standards, digital infrastructure and opportunities to publish courses on the 3MTT platform.

Under the Funded Delivery arrangement, payments will be made in stages following the achievement of four milestones: commencement of learning, acquisition of verified skills, securing an economic opportunity and sustaining such an opportunity for six months.

The government explained that qualifying economic opportunities could include formal employment, internships, freelance engagements or businesses established by Fellows using their acquired skills, provided such ventures generate earnings above the national minimum wage.

The results-based funding structure is expected to strengthen accountability in the implementation of the programme by shifting attention from training enrolment and completion figures to the actual employment and income outcomes of beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, the programme’s guidelines indicate that organisations and individual experts in Nigeria and abroad offering digital or technical skills training can apply to join the Delivery Network.

However, organisations leading applications for funding must be registered and operating in Nigeria. Applicants are also expected to demonstrate relevant training experience, previous delivery records and the capacity to implement their proposed programmes.

According to information on the programme’s application portal, the 3MTT initiative has trained about 179,000 Fellows across its four cohorts and DeepTech programme, with more than 200 partner organisations involved in delivering training. Over 1.8 million Nigerians have also registered on its platform.

The initiative is working towards developing three million technical talents by 2030, as the government seeks to strengthen Nigeria’s digital workforce and address the skills gap affecting the technology sector.

Applications for the fifth cohort opened on November 11, 2026, with funding applications scheduled to close on November 30 at 11:59pm West Africa Time.

Interested organisations can apply through the programme’s official portal at https://delivery.3mtt.gov.ng/#choose-partnership.

The 3MTT programme is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, designed to expand the country’s pool of technical talent and improve access to digital employment opportunities.

The Federal Government has positioned the programme as part of its broader digital economy strategy and efforts to develop the skilled workforce required to support President Bola Tinubu’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy.