Meta, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE), through its 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme and the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), alongside Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria (RAIN), has launched AI Academy Nigeria, a national capacity-building initiative aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s artificial intelligence talent and innovation ecosystem.
The initiative will provide Nigerian developers, startups, students and early-career professionals with access to practical AI learning, hands-on technical training and startup support, creating pathways for participants to progress from learning AI concepts to developing functional products and solutions.
Speaking on the partnership, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, said the initiative would equip developers, entrepreneurs and young professionals with practical AI skills while creating opportunities for innovation and globally competitive startups.
“Through this partnership, we are equipping developers, entrepreneurs, and young professionals with practical AI skills while creating pathways for innovation and globally competitive startups. This initiative further reflects our commitment to building a thriving AI ecosystem through strategic public-private collaboration and positioning Nigeria as a leader in Africa’s digital economy,” Tijani said.
Head of Public Policy, Anglophone West Africa at Meta, Sade Dada, said Nigeria had some of Africa’s most dynamic AI talent but required greater access to practical training, funding and platforms to translate ideas into impactful solutions.
“Nigeria is home to some of Africa’s most dynamic AI talent. What many founders and developers need is greater access to practical training, funding and platforms to build impactful solutions. AI Academy Nigeria was built to provide exactly that — equipping more Nigerians with the skills to build with AI, while giving the strongest ideas a route from home to a regional stage,” she said.
Founder and CEO of RAIN, Dr Olushola Ayoola, said the initiative demonstrated what could be achieved through coordinated efforts among public and private sector partners.
“Building Nigeria’s AI capacity requires the kind of coordinated effort we are seeing here. RAIN is proud to partner with Meta, FMCIDE and 3MTT to deliver a programme that reflects the scale of what is possible when the right partners align around a shared goal,” Ayoola said.
AI Academy Nigeria will be delivered through three complementary streams: AI Skills Development, a Startup Pitchathon and an intensive Developer Bootcamp.
The three tracks are designed to expand access to foundational AI skills while providing more advanced opportunities for developers and founders already working on AI-enabled solutions.
The Startup Pitchathon is open to early-stage Nigerian startups leveraging Meta’s AI technologies to address real-world challenges. Applications close on August 21, 2026, after which 10 startups will be shortlisted to pitch at GITEX Nigeria on September 3, 2026.
Two winning startups will each receive $5,000 in cash funding and $2,000 in Meta advertising credits. They will also receive an all-expenses-paid opportunity to represent Nigeria and pitch at the AI Summit by Meta in Istanbul, Türkiye, scheduled for November 23 and 24, 2026.
The AI Skills Development stream is open to the wider 3MTT community across Nigeria and offers a curated range of courses covering generative AI fundamentals to the development of applications using Meta’s AI models.
The courses will be delivered through self-paced online modules and virtual instructor-led sessions, allowing participants to learn according to their schedules while also accessing guided training.
Available courses include Building Generative AI Apps with Llama, which leads to a Professional Certificate; Prompt Engineering with Llama 2 and 3; Introducing Multimodal Llama 3.2; Generative AI in Data Analytics; Generative AI in Social Media Marketing; and the AI 101 curriculum developed by Startupbootcamp for Meta.
The courses will be provided at no cost through Coursera, DeepLearning.AI and DataCamp.
The top 100 performers will also be eligible for scholarships towards paid Meta Blueprint certifications and up to $5,000 in advertising credits.
The Developer Bootcamp, to be delivered by RAIN, will run for six weeks for a selected cohort of developers and startups.
The intensive programme will focus on practical AI development, with participants expected to work towards building functional AI products and market-ready solutions while receiving technical guidance and access to Meta’s network of AI experts.
The partnership builds on the broader mandate of the 3MTT programme to strengthen Nigeria’s technical talent pipeline by connecting skills development with practical application, entrepreneurship and opportunities in the digital economy.
Applications for the Startup Pitchathon remain open until August 21, 2026.
