stclarke explores Microsoft’s milestone of training over 350,000 Nigerians through the AI National Skills Initiative, highlighting collaborative skilling efforts with developers, business leaders, and the Nigerian government.

Microsoft Expands AI Skills Training to 350,000 More Nigerians

Microsoft, together with the Federal Government of Nigeria, Data Science Nigeria, and Lagos Business School, has announced a significant advance for the AI National Skills Initiative (AINSI), reaching over 350,000 Nigerians with AI-focused skills training. Building on past efforts that have trained millions in digital skills since 2021, the AINSI milestone underscores Nigeria’s position at the forefront of inclusive, technology-driven growth and digital workforce development.

Key Programme Highlights

  • Policy and Leadership Training:
    • Microsoft has partnered with Lagos Business School and several Nigerian government ministries to advance ethical, inclusive AI leadership.
    • The initiative has trained 99 public sector leaders, including National Assembly members and ministry executives, focusing on strategic AI adoption and sector-specific roadmaps.
  • Developer Talent Pipeline:
    • Initiatives such as Developers in Government (DevsInGov) and the Ministry of Communications’ 3 Million Technical Talent effort provided analytics and AI skills to around 645 participants, with an additional 1,000 developers gaining advanced knowledge in DevOps, machine learning, and data science.
    • These trainings strengthen Nigeria’s technical workforce, preparing for AI-powered innovation and services.
  • Broad Digital Literacy Outreach:
    • Microsoft’s AI Skills Week engaged over 235,000 Nigerians in digital literacy workshops, business leader sessions, and an Agentic AI hackathon.
    • Partnerships with organizations like VISA, TeKnowledge, UNICEF, and others enabled training for over 11,400 people and AI certification for 1,700+.
    • The hackathon spotlighted solutions in document verification, risk assessment, and fintech fraud detection.

Leadership Perspectives

Officials such as Abideen Yusuf (Microsoft Nigeria and Ghana) and Olayinka David-West (Lagos Business School Dean) reinforce the importance of nationwide AI skills for national competitiveness and economic inclusion. Dr. Bayo Adekanmbi, founder of Data Science Nigeria, highlights collaborative upskilling as central to building a globally competitive workforce.

Future Outlook

Microsoft and partners plan to extend AI and cybersecurity education, focusing on developer training, public sector upskilling, and broad digital transformation. The initiative seeks to help Nigeria realize a major share of projected AI-driven productivity gains and prepare its young population for the digital economy.

By collaborating with government, developers, educators, and industry partners, Microsoft is supporting Nigeria’s journey towards a future-ready and AI-literate workforce.

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