Microsoft says its longstanding partnership with the Federal Government has delivered digital skills training to more than four million Nigerians since 2021.
The Director for Government Affairs at Microsoft for West Africa, Ms Nonye Ujam, disclosed this on Tuesday at a media roundtable in Lagos. She said the milestone reflected Nigeria’s determination to thrive in the digital economy.
Ujam noted that recent data showed about 350,000 individuals were actively engaged in Microsoft’s specialised student programmes, with 63,000 completing specific learning pathways and 43,000 earning globally recognised certifications.
She also announced plans to train an additional 350,000 Nigerians in Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills, describing it as a major milestone under the company’s Artificial Intelligence National Skills Initiative (AINSI).
According to her, the initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the Federal Government, Data Science Nigeria and Lagos Business School, with a long-term goal of upskilling five million Nigerians.
Ujam explained that Microsoft was equipping developers for the future through targeted programmes, including government-led initiatives such as Developers in Government (DevsInGov) and the Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme under the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy.
She said about 645 participants had been trained in analytics and AI integration, while another 1,000 developers acquired advanced skills in DevOps, machine learning and data science.
“These efforts are helping Nigeria’s workforce prepare for the future by advancing AI fluency across the digital ecosystem,” she said.
Also speaking, the Country General Manager, Microsoft Nigeria and Ghana, Mr Abideen Yusuf, said Nigeria’s AI adoption rate currently stood at 8.7 per cent, slightly below the Sub-Saharan African average of 10 per cent.
Yusuf said with Africa’s GDP projected to gain $1.5 trillion from AI by 2030, Nigeria must position its youthful population, with a median age of 18, to take leadership in the sector.
“Nigeria cannot afford to wait. AI is reshaping every sector, and countries that move fastest on skills will lead,” he said.
He added that Microsoft’s focus was on innovation, infrastructure and skills, noting that collaboration with government was helping to build a future-ready workforce.
The Dean of Lagos Business School, Mrs Olayinka David-West, said the partnership had trained 99 public sector leaders from 58 government agencies, stressing that AI skills must also cover governance, ethics and risk management.
She said the second phase of Nigeria’s skilling programme under AINSI aimed to reach one million citizens within three years.
Similarly, the Founder of Data Science Nigeria, Dr Bayo Adekanmbi, said Microsoft’s support had empowered 38 training partners nationwide, helping to remove barriers to learning at the grassroots.
Adekanmbi said coordinated investment across government, educators, developers and communities was critical to building a globally competitive and AI-ready workforce.
Microsoft reaffirmed its commitment to making AI widely accessible and responsibly deployed, with a mission to empower individuals and organisations to achieve more.