FG, Meta plan AI academy to boost Nigeria’s tech talent

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The Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy has partnered with Meta, the 3 Million Technical Talent programme and Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria to launch an artificial intelligence academy aimed at expanding Nigeria’s pool of AI talent and strengthening its technology ecosystem.

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The academy will focus on moving participants from basic AI awareness to practical applications, offering training, technical support and opportunities to develop and commercialise AI-powered solutions, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, said in a statement on Monday.

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The programme will comprise three components: AI skills development, a startup pitchathon and a six-week developer bootcamp.

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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,” Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, noted.

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The minister said the initiative reflected the government’s commitment to building Nigeria’s AI ecosystem through public-private partnerships and strengthening the country’s position in Africa’s digital economy.

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The skills programme will be open to the wider 3MTT community and will offer courses covering generative AI, prompt engineering, multimodal AI, data analytics and the development of applications using Meta’s Llama models.

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Courses will be delivered through platforms including Coursera, DeepLearning.AI and DataCamp at no cost to participants. The top 100 performers will be eligible for scholarships towards Meta Blueprint certifications and up to $5,000 in advertising credits.

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The programme will also target Nigeria’s emerging startup ecosystem through an AI Startup Pitchathon. Applications close on August 21, with 10 startups to be selected to pitch at GITEX Nigeria on September 3.

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Two winning startups will each receive $5,000 in cash funding and $2,000 in Meta advertising credits. They will also receive an all-expenses-paid opportunity to represent Nigeria at Meta’s AI Summit in Istanbul, Türkiye, in November.

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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,” Head of Public Policy, Anglophone West Africa at Meta, Sade Dada, stated.

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The six-week Developer Bootcamp, to be delivered by RAIN, will provide selected developers and startups with intensive hands-on training to build functional AI products and market-ready solutions, supported by technical guidance and access to Meta’s AI experts.

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Founder and Chief Executive Officer of RAIN, Dr Olushola Ayoola, said the partnership demonstrated the importance of coordinated efforts in developing Nigeria’s AI capabilities.

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“Building Nigeria’s AI capacity requires the kind of coordinated effort we are seeing here,” Ayoola remarked.

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The partnership builds on the Federal Government’s 3MTT programme, which is aimed at developing a pipeline of technically skilled Nigerians for the country’s digital economy.

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The push comes as artificial intelligence increasingly becomes a factor in technology development, business productivity and the creation of new digital products. Building a larger pool of developers capable of deploying AI could help local companies reduce reliance on imported technical expertise while giving startups access to skills needed to compete in regional and global markets.

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The government has increasingly positioned AI and other emerging technologies as part of its strategy for developing Nigeria’s digital economy, while technology companies are looking to expand the pool of developers capable of building applications on their platforms.

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