By Joan Nwagwu
The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has empowered over 100 youths with advanced digital skills, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, data analysis, Python programming and 3D animation.
The association called for stronger collaboration among government, employers and training institutions to equip young Nigerians with relevant skills and connect them to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
The Director-General of NECA, Mr Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, said this at the graduation ceremony of the second cohort of the Technical Skill Development Project (TSDP) of NECA ICT Academy on Thursday in Abuja.
He said the academy, established in 2020, was designed to democratise access to technology training and create self-sustaining opportunities for young Nigerians.
“Our model goes beyond training; it is a transformative journey of knowledge, mentorship, and personal growth,” he said.
Oyerinde urged the graduates to demonstrate excellence, discipline and creativity, while becoming worthy ambassadors of the academy in their workplaces and entrepreneurial ventures.
“Remember, the future belongs to those who not only embrace technology but use it to make a difference. Go forth, lead with integrity, and illuminate your world,” he said.
He advised the graduates to identify societal challenges that could be addressed through technology, develop innovative solutions and explore entrepreneurship rather than depend solely on paid employment.
“Do not limit yourselves to seeking employment alone. Look for problems within your communities, industries and society that technology can help solve. Develop solutions, collaborate with others and explore entrepreneurship as a pathway to creating value and generating employment,” he advised.
Delivering the keynote address, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr Kashifu Abdullahi, said Nigeria must develop a workforce capable of creating and adapting technologies to local needs.
Abdullahi, whose address was titled “Building a Future-Ready Workforce Through Digital Skills and Emerging Technologies,” said AI, automation, cloud computing and data science were transforming the global labour market.
Citing the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, he said global changes were expected to create 170 million jobs and displace 92 million by 2030, representing a net increase of 78 million jobs, while 39 per cent of existing workers’ skills would change.
He said the Federal Government’s Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme had trained over 160,000 fellows across three cohorts, while Nigeria was targeting 70 per cent digital literacy by 2027 and 95 per cent by 2030.
Abdullahi added that the National Digital Literacy Dashboard had recorded over 2.78 million verified achievements, while NITDA was strengthening indigenous innovation through the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics and N-ATLAS.
“Our ambition must go beyond producing workers who can simply operate AI tools. We must develop a generation of Nigerians who can build, manage and innovate with these technologies,” he said.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mr Kamil Shoretire, urged the graduates to embrace continuous learning, practical problem-solving and professional integrity to remain relevant in the evolving labour market.
“Skills are a beginning, not a destination. The technology you learned in this programme will change. Some tools you use today will be replaced within a few years. What will last is your ability to learn, to unlearn, and to learn again,” he said.
Shoretire said employers increasingly prioritised practical problem-solving over certificates, urging the graduates to protect entrusted data, uphold ethical standards and build professional reputations through reliability.
“Employers do not hire certificates alone. They hire people who can take a messy problem, break it down, and deliver a solution that works for ordinary people.
“In the digital economy, trust is everything. Protect the data entrusted to you. Be honest about what you can and cannot do. Give credit to others. Over time, a reputation for reliability will open more doors than any qualification,” he said.
He reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for young Nigerians to secure decent jobs, establish businesses and build sustainable careers, describing their success as part of Nigeria’s progress.
