The Federal Government of Nigeria has launched the largest government-anchored digital skills-to-employment project in Nigeria's history, through its Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) Programme. The initiative, known as the iDICE Skills-to-Jobs programme, aims to train and actively link 300,000 young Nigerians to job opportunities in the digital and creative sectors. This programme is part of the Federal Government's Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to build a generation of digitally skilled and economically active young Nigerians.
The iDICE Skills-to-Jobs initiative is a $617.7 million flagship programme co-financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), with the Bank of Industry (BOI) serving as both a co-financier and executing agency. The programme will be implemented across all six geopolitical zones in Nigeria, with six implementing partners competitively selected to train and link programme graduates to job opportunities in Nigeria's growing digital and creative economy and the global outsourcing market.
The programme is designed to ensure employment, not just certification, with a target of at least 80% of trained beneficiaries securing job opportunities. This translates to job opportunities for a minimum of 240,000 young Nigerians upon completing their training. Participants will be trained across three tracks - Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced - each designed to meet learners where they are and build progressively towards job-ready competencies. Training will combine online learning with physical sessions, removing barriers of location and device access for young Nigerians in both urban and rural communities.
The programme targets young Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 35, with coverage spanning all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). To ensure inclusion, a minimum of 40% of all beneficiaries will be female, and at least 5% will be persons living with disabilities and young people who are Not in Employment, Education, or Training (NEET). Beneficiary selection will be conducted through a structured, transparent screening process under the oversight of the Bank of Industry.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed his support for the programme, stating that it is a concrete expression of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration's Renewed Hope Agenda. He emphasized that the programme is not just about training young Nigerians but also about building a bridge from skills to employment, connecting 300,000 young people to digital and creative jobs that the 21st-century global economy demands.
Dr. Olasupo Olusi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Industry, also spoke to the significance of the initiative, highlighting its focus on sustainable economic transformation. He noted that the programme is centred on creating a structured pipeline of digitally skilled, job-ready young Nigerians, which will catalyse the Bank's primary mandate to facilitate economic growth by providing the requisite skill set and creating sustainable jobs for Nigeria's teeming youth population.
Applications for the programme are now open, and young Nigerians aged 15 to 35 who live in Nigeria and want to build a career in the digital and creative economy are encouraged to apply at idice.ng/skills-training-to-jobs. The programme offers an invaluable pathway for young Nigerians to acquire the skills needed to participate productively in the digital and creative economy.
Key points
- The programme targets 300,000 young Nigerians for training and active linkage to jobs in the digital and creative sectors.
- The initiative has a target of at least 80% of trained beneficiaries securing job opportunities.
- The programme is co-financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).
