Nigeria aims to reduce unemployment with digital skills training
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The Federal Government of Nigeria launched the Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) Programme to address unemployment and underemployment, particularly among young people.
Recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed Nigeria’s unemployment rate fell to 4.3 percent in the second quarter of 2024, leaving approximately 9,870,000 Nigerians unemployed. The underemployment rate also decreased by 9.2 percent during the same period.
To tackle these numbers, iDICE will provide free training in business process outsourcing (BPO) skills to 50,000 young people in Nigeria’s South-West states. The Bank of Industry will implement the programme with financial support from the African Development Bank, Agence Française de Développement, and the Islamic Development Bank. The training, delivered virtually and in person, will focus on skills needed for customer service, data handling, digital operations, and back-office tasks.
Successful participants will earn industry-recognized certifications and gain access to potential employment opportunities. The programme will allocate training places across the South-West states as follows: Lagos (10,000), Ogun (8,000), Oyo (8,000), Osun (8,000), Ondo (8,000), and Ekiti (8,000). At least 40 percent of the available spaces are reserved for women, and the initiative will prioritize outreach to people not currently in education, employment, or training, as well as people with disabilities.
