The Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani,emphasizes that one of the primary objectives of a key program under his ministry is to generate employment opportunities for the vast population of Nigerian youth.
Tijani explains that the program aims to train three million technical talents within a four-year period, with the ultimate goal of positioning Nigeria as a significant exporter of technology talent, akin to India.
“We want to make Nigeria a net exporter of technology talents and by net exporter, we don’t mean that people necessarily live abroad because within the technology space you can now work remotely,” Tijani said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday.
“I have been part of the tech space for the last 15 years as well. The current development in the tech startup space is being driven by less 10,000 technical talents. The almighty Andela which is a well-known startup that does training do not train up to 10,000 people in Nigeria, yet they have been quite successful in helping to strengthen that ecosystem.
“So, if where we are today is being built by less than 10,000, imagine when we train talents. Talent is the prerequisite for our digital economy. When we train people they can build, we can export. India did it, it is nothing new. India was the source of technology talents for many years, it is our time because we have everything it takes to be able to get there.”
The Minister stressed the importance of academic institutions engaging in research, an area receiving substantial government investment.
He mentioned the launch of a research funding scheme within the first three months of assuming office, which has already supported 45 Artificial Intelligence projects.
He highlighted the significance of funding AI projects, noting that AI is rapidly advancing, and governments need to be prepared to avoid questions about their readiness in the near future.