FG, Meta Plan AI Academy to Boost Nigeria’s Tech Talent

Nigeria is set to significantly enhance its artificial intelligence capabilities with the launch of a new AI academy, a collaborative effort between the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and Meta, the parent company of Facebook. This initiative, also involving the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program and Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria (RAIN), aims to expand the nation's pool of AI talent and bolster its technology ecosystem.

The academy will guide participants from basic AI awareness to practical applications, offering comprehensive training, technical support, and opportunities to develop and commercialize AI-powered solutions. The program is structured into three key components: AI skills development, a startup pitchathon, and a six-week developer bootcamp. Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, highlighted that the partnership equips developers, entrepreneurs, and young professionals with essential AI skills, fostering innovation and globally competitive startups.

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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 underscores the government's commitment to nurturing Nigeria's AI ecosystem through public-private partnerships and solidifying its position in Africa's digital economy. The skills program will be accessible to the broader 3MTT community, featuring courses on generative AI, prompt engineering, multimodal AI, data analytics, and the development of applications using Meta's Llama models. These courses will be available at no cost through platforms like Coursera, DeepLearning.AI, and DataCamp. The top 100 participants will receive scholarships for Meta Blueprint certifications and advertising credits.

The program also targets Nigeria's burgeoning startup scene through an AI Startup Pitchathon, with applications closing on August 21. Ten startups will be selected to pitch at GITEX Nigeria on September 3, with two winners receiving $5,000 in cash and $2,000 in Meta advertising credits. These winning startups will also get an all-expenses-paid trip to represent Nigeria at Meta's AI Summit in Istanbul, Türkiye, in November. Sade Dada, Head of Public Policy, Anglophone West Africa at Meta, noted that Nigeria possesses dynamic AI talent, emphasizing the need for greater access to practical training, funding, and platforms for impactful solutions. RAIN's Founder and CEO, Dr. Olushola Ayoola, stated the partnership will provide intensive hands-on training for selected developers and startups to build functional AI products.

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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.