The federal government said it will train three (3) million new technical talents and increase digital literacy by 70 per cent by the end of 2027.
This is contained in pillar one of the strategic plan of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy released by the minister, Dr Bosun Tijani on Monday via his official X handle.
Pillar one of the blueprint focuses on knowledge building which is the core foundation of every sustainable economy across the world.
“In our rapidly interconnected world, knowledge is the foundation upon which countries build a robust and sustainable economy. As a critical prerequisite, knowledge influences how we generate innovations and technologies that drive economic growth, expand the talent pool to drive competitiveness, improve productivity and inform evidence-based policymaking, amongst others,” the document reads.
“As a Ministry, our mandate of contributing to the diversification of the Nigerian economy through enhanced technical efficiency facilitated by technological innovation rests on effective application of knowledge”.
According to the document, the ministry describes knowledge as the critical foundation of the strategic blueprint for the next 4 years with the intent to cover three key objectives under pillar one:
- Accelerate the growth of Nigeria as a global technical talent hub and net exporter of talent;
- Deepen and accelerate our position in global research in key technology areas; and
- Raise the complexity and dynamics of our economy by significantly increasing the level of digital literacy across Nigeria
The three objectives are to help the government achieve strategic intervention in the areas of talent development, research and digital literacy.
Talent
The ministry is to display an unwavering commitment to talent development with its ambitious goal of training three (3) million early to mid-career technical talents over the next four years. These trainings are to cover tech-enabled and tech-adjacent skills, core tech competencies and advanced proficiencies.
“This holistic approach is designed to empower our workforce to thrive in a constantly evolving technological landscape. Ultimately, our strategic intent is to retain at least 1.5 million of these skilled professionals within our local talent pool and facilitate opportunities for another 1.5 million of our talented individuals to excel in the global talent marketplace, preferably through remote opportunities”.
Research
The blueprint also highlights the strategic imperativeness of positioning Nigeria in the top 25% percentile in research globally across six pivotal Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technological domains, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics, Blockchain and Additive Manufacturing.
The government promises to build an environment that nurtures research and expertise in the above-mentioned technological areas, through intentional programmes.
According to the document, “By leveraging the power of these technologies, we aim to accelerate Nigeria’s position as a recognisable player in the global technology ecosystem, thereby contributing to the growth and competitiveness of our economy”.
Digital Literacy
“Our mission to achieve 95% digital literacy by 2030 is a critical pillar in our vision for a digitally inclusive nation. As an important component of our blueprint, we are committed to making substantial strides toward this goal over the next four years. Our plan is to achieve 70% of this target by 2027, thus representing a major milestone in our path towards an inclusive and digitally empowered nation,” the ministry reiterates.
The government said it will adopt a multifaceted approach, including a robust educational programme, improved digital infrastructure and universal access to digital resources to not only foster the growth of our citizens but create the bedrock for a thriving economy.
Key performance indicators (KPIs) to watch
Pillar one of the blueprint is attached to three key KPIs which will be used to measure the achievement of the plan.
The KPIs are:
- Work with stakeholders to train 3 million technical talents and prioritise job placement by the end of 2027.
- Increase the level of digital literacy of our population to 70% by the end of 2027.
- Position Nigeria in the top 25 percentile of research globally in 6 key areas – Artificial Intelligence (AI), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), IoT, Robotics, Blockchain and Additive Manufacturing.
