The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has equipped more than 100 Nigerian youths with advanced digital skills, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, data analysis, Python programming and 3D animation, to prepare them for employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in the growing digital economy.
The Director-General of NECA, Mr Adewale-Smart Oyerinde, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja at the graduation ceremony of the second cohort of the Technical Skill Development Project (TSDP) organised by the association’s ICT Academy. He called for stronger collaboration among government, employers and training institutions to equip young Nigerians with relevant skills and connect them to job opportunities and business ventures.
Speaking at the ceremony, Oyerinde said the academy, established in 2020, was created to make technology training accessible to more young Nigerians and provide opportunities for them to become self-reliant.
He explained that the academy’s approach went beyond technical training to include mentorship, personal development and practical knowledge.
“Our model goes beyond training; it is a transformative journey of knowledge, mentorship, and personal growth,” he said.
Oyerinde urged the graduates to demonstrate excellence, discipline and creativity, while representing the academy positively in their workplaces and businesses.
He also encouraged them to look beyond seeking paid employment by identifying societal challenges that could be addressed through technology and developing innovative solutions.
“Do not limit yourselves to seeking employment alone. Look for problems within your communities, industries and society that technology can help solve.
“Develop solutions, collaborate with others and explore entrepreneurship as a pathway to creating value and generating employment,” he said.
Delivering the keynote address, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr Kashifu Abdullahi, said Nigeria must develop a workforce capable of creating and adapting technologies to meet local needs.
In his address titled Building a Future-Ready Workforce through Digital Skills and Emerging Technologies, Abdullahi said Artificial Intelligence, automation, cloud computing and data science were changing the global labour market and the skills required by employers.
Citing the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2025 Report, he said global labour market changes were expected to create 170 million jobs and displace 92 million jobs by 2030, resulting in a net increase of 78 million jobs.
He added that 39 per cent of existing workers’ skills were expected to change within the same period, highlighting the need for continuous skills development.
Abdullahi said the Federal Government’s Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme had trained more than 160,000 fellows across three cohorts.
He added that Nigeria was working towards achieving 70 per cent digital literacy by 2027 and 95 per cent by 2030.
According to him, the National Digital Literacy Dashboard had recorded more than 2.78 million verified achievements, while NITDA was strengthening local technology development through the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics and N-ATLAS.
“Our ambition must go beyond producing workers who can simply operate AI tools. We must develop a generation of Nigerians who can build, manage and innovate with these technologies,” he said.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mr Kamil Shoretire, urged the graduates to embrace continuous learning, practical problem-solving and professional integrity to remain relevant in the changing labour market.
He said digital skills acquired today might become outdated as technology advances, stressing that the ability to learn new skills and adapt would remain important throughout their careers.
“Skills are a beginning, not a destination. The technology you learned in this programme will change. Some tools you use today will be replaced within a few years. What will last is your ability to learn, to unlearn and to learn again,” he said.
Shoretire noted that employers were increasingly prioritising practical problem-solving abilities over certificates, urging the graduates to focus on delivering solutions that address real workplace and societal challenges.
He also advised them to protect sensitive information, maintain ethical standards and build professional reputations through honesty and reliability.
“Employers do not hire certificates alone. They hire people who can take a messy problem, break it down and deliver a solution that works for ordinary people.
“In the digital economy, trust is everything. Protect the data entrusted to you. Be honest about what you can and cannot do. Give credit to others. Over time, a reputation for reliability will open more doors than any qualification,” he said.
The permanent secretary reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for young Nigerians to secure decent jobs, establish businesses and build sustainable careers.
He described the graduates’ success as part of Nigeria’s broader progress, stressing the importance of equipping young people with skills that would enable them to contribute meaningfully to the country’s economy.
