Microsoft has announced that its longstanding partnership with the Federal Government has delivered digital training to more than four million Nigerians since 2021.
The announcement was made by Nonye Ujam, Director for Government Affairs at Microsoft West Africa, during a media roundtable in Lagos, highlighting Nigeria’s commitment to thriving in the digital economy.
Ujam noted that 350,000 individuals have actively participated in specialised student programmes, with 63,000 completing specific training pathways and 43,000 receiving global certification. She also announced an additional 350,000 Nigerians would receive training in Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills under Microsoft’s National Skills Initiative (AINSI). The initiative is conducted in collaboration with the federal government, Data Science Nigeria, and Lagos Business School.
“Microsoft is equipping developers for the future through developer-focused programmes, creating a strong pipeline of technical talent. Through government-driven initiatives like Developers in Government (DevsInGov) and the Three Million Technical Talent Initiative (3MTT) led by the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, developers in public sectors have gained new skills,” Ujam explained. Around 645 participants have been trained in analytics and AI integration, while another 1,000 developers received advanced training in DevOps, machine learning, and data science.
Microsoft Nigeria and Ghana Country General Manager Abideen Yusuf said Nigeria’s current AI adoption rate stands at 8.7 per cent, slightly below the Sub-Saharan average of 10 per cent. Highlighting the continent’s projected $1.5 trillion GDP gain from AI by 2030, Yusuf stressed the importance of positioning Nigeria’s youth, with a median age of 18 years, to lead in the sector. “Nigeria cannot afford to wait. AI is reshaping every sector and the countries that move fastest on skills will lead. We are focusing on three key indices: the frontier (innovation), infrastructure (connectivity and power), and most importantly, skills,” he said.
Mrs. Olayinka David-West, Dean of Lagos Business School, said the partnership had trained 99 public sector leaders from 58 agencies, emphasising that AI skill development must extend beyond technical expertise to include governance and risk management. She stressed that leaders are being trained to ask the right questions about safety, ethics, and leveraging AI to improve credit access and agricultural cycles, calling AI skilling foundational to Nigeria’s digital competitiveness. The second phase of Microsoft’s AINSI programme aims to reach one million citizens over three years.
Dr. Bayo Adekanmbi, Founder of Data Science Nigeria, represented at the event by Business Lead Aanu Oyeniran, highlighted the grassroots structure of the initiative, noting that 38 training partners across Nigeria have been equipped with infrastructure to remove learning barriers. He stressed that AI readiness requires coordinated investment across government, developers, educators, and communities, and that true digital transformation occurs when the entire ecosystem advances together.
Microsoft reaffirmed its commitment to making AI broadly accessible and responsibly applied, with the mission to empower every individual and organisation in Nigeria to achieve more.
