Will Nigeria’s 3 Million Technical Skills Initiative bridge the rising tech expertise hole whereas positioning its workforce for international alternatives? 

In November 2023, Maryam Shuaibu Aliyu was scrolling by means of Fb on her cellphone at residence in Kano when she chanced on a publish saying Nigeria’s 3 Million Technical Skills (3MTT) programme.

Regardless of not understanding find out how to use a laptop computer proficiently, Aliyu, a Bayero College graduate, volunteer instructor, and mom of two, felt a pull. 

“I might by no means have imagined studying a tech talent if I hadn’t come throughout the programme,” stated Aliyu, who was chosen as considered one of 31,270 fellows for the primary cohort of the 3MTT. 

The four-year initiative, launched by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economic system, needs to remodel Nigeria right into a hub for international tech expertise. The minister, Bosun Tijani, calls it “the biggest expertise expertise accelerator on the earth.” President Bola Tinubu additionally referred to it throughout his October 2024 Independence Day speech, outlining it as considered one of his administration’s large plans.

Over 1.7 million folks utilized to affix one of many 12 technical abilities provided by means of the programme: software program growth, UI/UX design, information evaluation and visualisation, high quality assurance, product administration, information science, animation, AI/machine studying, cybersecurity, recreation growth, cloud computing, and DevOps. 3MTT obtained purposes from virtually all of Nigeria’s 774 native governments, partnering with information verification startup Prembly to vet the candidates. 

Francis Sani is the Technical Adviser to the Minister on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Capital and can also be answerable for the programme. In line with him, the choice to concentrate on these abilities got here after stakeholder engagement, pushed by the necessity to equip Nigerian youth with abilities experiencing fast progress in demand on each nationwide and international foundation. 

The native expertise, international alternative imaginative and prescient

Yearly, hundreds of Nigerians migrate to hunt alternatives overseas. This Japa phenomenon usually implies that these abilities, their taxes, and revenue are spent boosting different economies. As the worldwide demand for technical expertise intensifies, pushed by sectors like AI, information science, and software program, many extra younger Nigerians need assistance to compete and entry these alternatives. Past Nigeria, this problem is frequent to nations with massive populations–like Brazil, India, and Kenya–that are starting to introduce insurance policies and initiatives geared toward upskilling their populations to stay aggressive within the international financial system.

In Nigeria, a number of digital coaching and expertise outsourcing corporations have popped up within the final decade to coach hundreds of individuals in core technical abilities and assist them discover placements. 

In 2014, Andela was based with its “expertise is evenly distributed, however alternative will not be” ethos, coaching software program builders and putting them at jobs in US corporations and elsewhere. Andela grew to become famend for its rigorous choice course of, admitting solely the highest 1% of engineers attempting to get into the programme. By 2019, Andela was pivoting from a junior-first mannequin to senior expertise sourcing, with its CEO Jeremy Johnson saying, “We haven’t been in a position to scale distant, junior placements, partly as a result of boot camps and CS applications have grown quickly over the previous 5 years, and we’re now not in a position to lead with a junior first technique.” 

In 2016, Accommodations.ng CEO Mark Essien, pissed off by his incapacity to seek out native technical expertise, began the HNG Internship program with virtually 200 design and software program engineering interns. A median program runs for 3-6 months, with hundreds of interns collaborating in a free high-intensity internship, powering by means of ten levels of challenges. The 2023 cohort began with over 22,000 folks on the first stage and ended with lower than 500 by the top of the tenth stage. 

Extra lately, corporations resembling Decagon, ALX, and AltSchool have constructed programmes to coach technical expertise and make them extra aggressive for international expertise alternatives. These three corporations have cumulatively skilled over 146,00 folks throughout various ranges of experience prior to now decade.

Collectively, these initiatives and others like them function on the idea that Nigeria, with its youthful inhabitants, can meet native and international demand for tech expertise. In line with a Statista forecast, by 2030, round 28 million jobs in Nigeria would require digital abilities, positioning these programmes as important for the nation’s financial future. 

3MTT is the federal government’s method to making a technical expertise pipeline by means of mass inclusion, focusing on Nigerians in city and rural areas and communities historically left behind. 

Sani explains that it is a distinctive scenario the place Nigeria’s inhabitants provide can meet international demand. “We all know there’s a demand for tech jobs, and the demand isn’t small. It’s why we are able to’t do a small quantity,” 

This ministry is betting on 3MTT as a vital lever for Nigeria’s rising digital financial system. The ICT sector went from contributing 14.07% within the Q2 GDP of 2020 to 19.78% Q2 GDP in 2024. The ministry goals to extend this contribution to 22% of the GDP by 2027. 

“If we are saying that there’s a chance for us to make our digital financial system so much bigger, the components are the folks,” Sani says.

The construction of 3MTT

After she was chosen, Aliyu underwent a three-month studying journey on the cybersecurity observe. The method started with self-paced on-line programs on Edtech platforms like Coursera, AltSchool, ProductDive, and IHS Academy, the place she and fellow members had been launched to foundational ideas of their chosen fields. 

The 3MTT programme makes use of a tiered 1-10-100 construction, beginning with a small cohort and scaling effectively whereas studying from every part. The primary part (1%) surpassed the 30,000 purpose, onboarding 31,270 fellows, with every cohort lasting three months. The subsequent part (10%), which started in August 2024, will ramp up the variety of fellows to 300,000, whereas the final part, which is able to finish in 2027, will hit the three million goal (100%). 

“3MTT isn’t only a coaching program,” Sani defined. “We need to construct an ecosystem for technical expertise growth.” 

Aliyu additionally participated in bodily studying periods with different fellows at Aisha Kwaku and Associates, a Cisco Networking Academy based mostly in Kano. This facility is without doubt one of the 120 utilized studying clusters (ALCs) that make up the in-person, hands-on element of 3MTT. 

Utilized Studying Clusters supply digital coaching to folks throughout disciplines and talent ranges; 3MTT leverages its current experience and services to coach fellows. Additionally they supply fellows an opportunity to use their abilities in real-world environments, guaranteeing a mix of principle and follow, and discover neighborhood, which is crucial to their success in the event that they construct capability.

A structured program like 3MTT may give fellows a head begin in a possible tech profession, however proficiency will come from steady follow and publicity to real-world challenges. 

“I wouldn’t say I’m very proficient in Excel, however I understand how to make use of the software to an extent,” stated Obi Confidence, one other Cohort One fellow beneath the information evaluation observe in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. “You don’t anticipate them to impart every part in 12 weeks. 3MTT gave me the fundamentals, and I’d prefer to discover extra,” 

Confidence, a Nationwide Open College of Nigeria scholar, plans to use for internships after commencement to work on real-life initiatives. 

Nevertheless, the transition from coaching to real-world competency isn’t at all times seamless. In line with Ashley Immanuel, cofounder of Semicolon, employers usually categorical frustration with outcomes from short-term applications. “We’ve talked to employers who’ve expertise recruiting from the Nigerian expertise pool; they’ve tended to say that shorter-term hybrid or on-line coaching applications don’t give them the outcomes they need,” This usually implies that employers nonetheless need to spend time and assets on upscaling entry-level hires. The bottom degree required to work in these corporations is increased than what many of those applications set.

Shorter-term studying applications decrease the barrier for folks to start their journey, however Francis Sani admits, “The journey from studying a brand new talent to getting a job will not be one thing we anticipate to be instantaneous.” He defined additional, “Because the learners refine their abilities and profession readiness capabilities, they’ll proceed to entry extra alternatives immediately by means of 3MTT or in any other case. We anticipate to see a bigger proportion of our mission targets achieved within the mid-term.”

Of the fellows chosen for Cohort 1, 73% participated in bodily studying. Over 6,000 fellows (19%) accomplished this system.

3MTT reviews that it has generated over 3,500 jobs for its fellows, leading to an 11.21% placement fee for Cohort 1. It additionally claims to have created 4,000 micro-job alternatives. These roles, we’ve discovered, are an entry-level mixture of full-time, internship, or contract roles at startups, corporates, the general public sector, and extra. 

Immanuel’s sentiment reinforces the long-term problem of applications like 3MTT. If the final word measure of success within the brief time period is the position of graduates, then extra complete and intensive coaching could also be required. 

But, focusing completely on job placement as a hit metric could miss the broader influence 3MTT may have. Even earlier than measuring employment outcomes, this system would have already got tackled an vital problem: opening up entry to the opportunity of expertise careers for hundreds of thousands of Nigerians.

On the finish of their three-month programme, fellows in Cohort 1 proceed to have entry to their studying dashboard, a job board and their native studying neighborhood, the place neighborhood managers proceed to organise engagement occasions. The man’s journey will likely be carried by self-persistence for the remainder of the best way. 

“We don’t know the fact of our nation”

Umar Mustapha, a neighborhood supervisor in Katsina, says 3MTT is the primary form of tech coaching within the state, citing low digital literacy and a scarcity of tech presence, not like cities like Kano.

“Folks don’t perceive the programs they signed up for,” Mustapha stated. “I keep in mind some folks signed up for information evaluation and thought they’d study the enterprise of promoting (cell) information.”

Another members enrolled within the programme with the expectation of receiving free laptops or cash since it’s government-run. This has led to vital churn. Whereas 1,400 folks in Katsina had been chosen for the primary cohort, solely 400 accomplished this system.

For Tijani, the largest lesson is correcting stereotypes about tech adaptability nationwide. 

“The stunning factor I’ve discovered with 3MTT is that almost all of us in Nigeria don’t know the fact of our nation. After we obtained the purposes, I used to be stunned by the variety of purposes from the Northern nation. After we do our month-to-month showcase, I’m stunned on the variety of absolutely coated girls who try to submit movies of what they discovered. The range of the folks is stunning.” 

What is going to it value to coach 3 million technical abilities? 

Studying programmes have a number of transferring components. For 3MTT, the ministry has relied on private-sector partnerships to unite the transferring components, from curriculum and content material growth to personnel prices and gadget financing. In October 2023, telecom tower operator IHS Towers dedicated ₦1 billion over three years to assist hiring 37 neighborhood managers for every state and the FCT. 

A key a part of the programme contains the web studying element. The ministry partnered with large open on-line course (MOOC) suppliers to offer their fellows free entry to programs. For units, the ministry facilitated over ₦5 billion ($3 million) in financing, permitting fellows to get units and pay instalments in twelve months in partnership with Rayda and The Different Financial institution.  

In line with a report, 3MTT paid ACLs ₦20,000 ($12) for every fellow. This implies it might have value an estimated $360,000 to make 1% progress. Because the ministry bore this value, authorities fee cycles have grow to be a ache level for studying companions. 

“ALCs went by means of this system and spent some huge cash however couldn’t get fee on time. The final fee occurred someday in August, simply earlier than the kick-off of cohort two, and that fee was due for the reason that completion of Cohort 1 in April,” stated Olabanji Ajiboye, who leads product and applications at EarlyFounders Labs, a coaching supplier in Akwa Ibom. “(However) These issues had been communicated to the ALCs, and there was transparency,” he added.

Sani admits that the primary cohort had its challenges, and the staff “has the learnings to enhance for Cohort Two. Now we have performed it with Cohort 1, constructed our studying programs, and are constructing our placement system.”

The subsequent part–which is able to practice 270,000 fellows–is split into three cohorts: Cohort Two (60,000), Cohort Three (90,000) and Cohort 4 (120,000). The next part will cowl six cohorts and goal a million members. 

By the point the 3MTT programme data its 3 millionth fellow, it might have taken 4 years and price over $30 million, assuming the price of coaching a fellow stays fixed. To place that into perspective, the ministry’s whole price range for 2024 is ₦28.54 billion ($17 million). 

Tijani and his staff’s means to leverage strategic partnerships inside the personal sector has turned out to be essential in getting 3MTT began and on observe, however they’ll want rather more to push the mission to the end line. Making a pool of tech expertise can also be a key precedence for the minister, whose expertise co-founding Co-Creation Hub (CCHub) has formed 3MTT’s method. 

“Prior to now, expertise expertise in Nigeria was being pushed by lower than 10,000 folks,” Tijani defined. “Even Andela didn’t practice 10,000 folks [at the time]. The individuals who constructed the startup ecosystem in Nigeria had been lower than 10,000. Sitting at CCHub, for me it was clear that we don’t speed up a structured approach to carry folks into tech, we are literally not going to assist our tech ecosystem.”

Because the programme scales, it would want constant funding by means of public-private partnerships, develop worldwide collaboration, and innovate round financing fashions. It would additionally want to determine find out how to quickly present job placements and construct a aggressive tech workforce. Lastly, past Tijani and even Tinubu’s phrases in workplace, it might want to devise a sustainable construction that makes the programme immune from the whims of successive governments. 

The location hole

A giant query is what to do with a ‘tech upscaled’ inhabitants amidst rising unemployment and a contracting market owing to excessive prices. There’s additionally a rising concern concerning the abilities hole in Nigeria’s tech {industry}. Many employers are struggling to seek out candidates with the precise abilities and expertise they require as extra skilled expertise continues to depart the nation in droves looking for higher alternatives. 

These nations of vacation spot have specifically designed expert employee applications, resembling Canada’s World Expertise Stream and the UK’s Expert Employee Visa, optimised to draw superior expertise from growing economies like Nigeria.  

Whereas the 3MTT fellows symbolize the start of a brand new era of digital expertise, they received’t instantly fill this hole, particularly in mid and senior-level positions. As Sani places it, “The position that 3MTT performs from a coaching perspective is to boil the ocean for the ecosystem. We concentrate on offering entry-level abilities to Nigerians who in any other case wouldn’t have entry to them.” This program is designed to sort out the foundation-level expertise scarcity with a long-term view of constructing that expertise pipeline from the bottom up. 

Bridging the hole between coaching and employability is the following crucial step. The success of 3MTT will rely not simply on coaching however on the native ecosystem’s means to make use of this inflow of entry-level expertise. 

Tijani believes that extra startups needs to be providing placement alternatives to fellows. “3MTT is a foundational program to get you in. We want the assist of the ecosystem.” 

The argument is that fixing the expertise hole within the ecosystem requires all palms on deck. Startups ought to create a chance for entry-level hires to upskill and have entry to mentorship to develop into senior roles.

Working again to the inspiration

Nigerian tertiary establishments produce a whole bunch of hundreds of graduates yearly. In 2017 alone, Nigerian universities produced 266,293 graduates, not accounting for polytechnics and schools of training. 

But, regardless of the sheer quantity of graduates coming into the workforce, many should be outfitted for the calls for of the digital financial system, the place jobs more and more require digital abilities with various ranges of technical proficiency. 

3MTT is bridging a crucial hole within the brief to mid-term, however to attain true rigour and scale, the answer could lie past short-term coaching applications alone. On this, Tijani believes that the long-term rigour won’t be learnt in lecture rooms however on the job. Whereas they’ll proceed to enhance their placement programs, work with the Ministry of Schooling has started. 

“We’re actively collaborating with the Ministry of Schooling on an Ed-tech technique for Nigeria,” the minister stated, “and can work collectively to assist the strengthening of the technical expertise and digital literacy curriculum in our academic establishments.”

In nations like Estonia, India, and Singapore, digital literacy and rising applied sciences have grow to be a core a part of their curricula on the tertiary degree. If Nigerian faculties undertake the same method, the job to be performed of 3MTT and its applications will grow to be a necessary a part of the nationwide curriculum. That manner, college students graduate with tutorial levels and industry-ready abilities. 

In line with a report by the Worldwide Finance Company, 230 million jobs in sub-Saharan Africa would require digital abilities. Embedding these competencies into Nigeria’s tertiary training system would rework the nation’s workforce at scale, guaranteeing that hundreds of thousands of graduates should not solely eligible for entry-level positions but additionally outfitted with the talents and mindset required to drive innovation and compete globally. This could shift the narrative from essential short-term fixes to a long-term sustainable answer, the place the nation’s training system turns into the engine for producing world-class tech expertise.

The lengthy highway forward

Aliyu, who joined 3MTT on the cybersecurity observe, at present works as a facilitator on the ALC the place she bought her tech begin. “I’ve been attempting to go deeper as a result of three months couldn’t cowl every part,” she stated. Aliyu stated she plans to take extra superior programs on cybersecurity to higher put together her for roles within the {industry}. She’s additionally looking out for internship alternatives. 

Although 3MTT is opening new doorways for hundreds of individuals like Aliyu throughout Nigeria, the short-term gaps–from mismatched expectations to placement bottlenecks–are simple. 

Nevertheless, the long-term potential stays highly effective. Within the first cohort, 85% of learners rated their probability of recommending the programme to a good friend at 7/10 and above. For a lot of members, 3MTT bridges new alternatives they by no means thought attainable. It might have laid the groundwork for a future tech workforce. Whereas the preliminary outcomes could also be uneven, its final success will rely on its means to adapt, scale, and join graduates with significant employment alternatives domestically and globally. 

It’ll be, as Ashley Immanuel of Semicolon Africa stated, “You possibly can’t shortcut transformation.” 

“There’ll at all times be dropoffs when coping with massive numbers,” Tijani defined. “I’ve little question that whether or not it’s the ten% of the three million goal or 50%, there will likely be a crucial variety of Nigerians that can now have a profession in tech due to 3MTT.”

“For me,” he concluded, “that’s a transparent legacy.”