The Federal Government of Nigeria, in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Coursera have continued to demonstrate its commitment to empowering the country’s youth by providing scholarship training programmes that equip them with job-ready digital skills, enhancing their marketability and self-reliance.
The second cohort, a fully-funded six-month training program sponsored by NITDA in partnership with Coursera, aims to develop the digital capabilities of Nigerian youth, enabling them to obtain professional certifications from top American universities and global tech giants.
Encompassing courses such as artificial intelligence, user experience design, user interface design, web development, android development and more, this training programme aligns with the Federal Government’s goal of creating one million jobs for youth in the digital economy.
In his welcome address during the webinar, the director-general of NITDA, Mallam Kashifu Abdullahi, represented by the acting director of the digital literacy and capacity development department, Dr. Amina Sambo expressed delight at the participants’ enthusiasm for the learning process.
Referring to the testimonials shared by beneficiaries of the recently concluded Cohort 1 training programme, who have acquired globally marketable digital skills, he urged the participants to seize the opportunity given to them and make the most of it.
He revealed that over 150,000 applications were received and selected applicants have been notified via email regarding their scholarship programmes. He assured others that the process is ongoing and that opportunities will be provided in the future.
“We are pleased to announce that NITDA has entered into a three-year partnership with Coursera. We will be providing this scholarship to Nigerians for a total of three years,” he reiterated.
During the induction for Cohort 2, the senior customer success manager at Coursera, Mr. Khaled Al-Kokhon congratulated all the successful scholarship recipients. He highlighted that Coursera is the largest online education company, serving over 100 million learners globally, who have access to courses from top universities such as Duke, Yale, Princeton and many more.
Encouraging participants to make the most of the programme, he emphasised that “the partnership between NITDA and Coursera will grant Nigerians access to high-quality content that will enable them to upskill and reskill themselves for future jobs curated by Coursera and NITDA”.
Furthermore, the first 10 participants who successfully complete a professional certification, including the ‘associate level’, ‘professional level’ and ‘expert level’, will be rewarded with laptops to acknowledge their achievements.
