Digital skills development crucial for Nigeria’s economic growth —Microsoft

Microsoft, a technology company, has emphasised the crucial role of digital skills development in boosting Nigeria’s economic growth.

Ola Williams, the Country Manager of Microsoft Nigeria, said this in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos, recently.

According to Williams, Africa’s youthful population presents an opportunity to become a global hub for tech skills, noting that it is, however, crucial to bridge the digital skills gap.

Williams said that by 2030, Africa would account for one-fifth of the global workforce and one-third of the youth workforce, making digital skills development essential.

“Digital literacy must be the starting point. Employers globally are looking for workers with enhanced digital skills and 70 percent of demand will come from occupations outside ICT specialisations.

“Microsoft Nigeria has launched several initiatives to address this challenge. The Global Skills Initiative, launched in 2021, has engaged 196,000 learners in Nigeria, providing access to digital skills training.

“The company has also partnered with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Nigerian Government to launch the Digital Nigeria eLearning Platform.

“The platform has recorded 125,000 enrolled learners and 111,000 course completions,” she said.

According to Williams, Microsoft is focused on developing digital literacy, entrepreneurial skills and Artificial Intelligence (AI) expertise.

She noted that additionally, Microsoft Nigeria had collaborated with local telecom providers like MTN to provide four million Nigerians with free tech skilling content.

“The company’s FAST Accelerator programme in partnership with Flapmax aims to support startups and SMEs, providing cutting-edge technologies, holistic skills development and business development strategies.

“Microsoft Nigeria has also partnered with Zindi, a leading African AI community, to advance digital skilling across the continent,” she said.

Williams also noted that developing AI skills was critical, adding that AI was a defining technology at the moment.

The Microsoft boss said that capturing just 10 percent of the global AI market could expand Africa’s economy by 50 percent.

She said the company’s efforts aligned with the Federal Government’s drive to promote digital economy and innovation.

“Microsoft is partnering with the government of Nigeria to accelerate the country’s digital transformation, with a commitment to upskilling five million people in Nigeria to create over 27,000 new digital jobs.

“To date, our skilling initiatives have reached 1,164,815 people, with 89,946 Microsoft certifications completed,” Williams said.

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