Google targets 500,000 Nigerians for digital training

The Google Digital Skills for Africa program has been launched in Sokoto with a target to train 500,000 Nigerians in the next 12 months and to triple that number over the next five years.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar, said the exercise was aimed at improving employability of job seekers and the growth of small enterprises, who were keen to join the digital world by improving their skills.

She described the provision of a favourable environment for enterprises to thrive as a key strategy in developing the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Nigeria.

“We know that for any enterprise to become relevant and competitive in this age of digital disruption, our entrepreneurs have to be equipped with modern digital skills. This is why this partnership with Google aims to create the right technological platform for Nigerian MSMEs to thrive and prosper by building a web presence through digital innovation.”

For Sokoto, she said: “We projected training 1000 youths over the next three training days.”

The Minister noted that over 50 million Nigerians were connected to the web via mobile devices, but that they still lacked the basic digital skills to accomplish critical tasks of promoting their enterprises.