The Chairman of the Sector Skills Council for Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Mr. Shola Oshilaja, has revealed that Nigeria could forfeit an estimated $11 billion annually in potential economic growth due to the widening digital skills gap in the country.
Oshilaja, represented by the Council’s Secretary, Mr. Chukwuemeka Okafor, made this assertion on Tuesday in Abuja during the 21st-anniversary celebration of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), an agency under the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
“In Nigeria, the digital skills gap could cost our economy an estimated $11 billion annually in lost growth opportunities. The question before us is clear: how do we prepare Nigeria’s workforce not just for today’s market but for tomorrow’s?” Oshilaja stated.
Quoting the World Economic Forum, he highlighted that by 2027, approximately 69 per cent of global companies are expected to accelerate their adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which could displace 85 million jobs while creating 97 million new ones.
He urged immediate policy reforms and educational interventions to position Nigeria for success in the digital economy. Oshilaja emphasized the need to integrate coding, cybersecurity, digital marketing, and AI fundamentals into secondary school curricula, as well as institutionalize work-based learning through mandatory internships and apprenticeships.
The Chairman also called for the establishment of a National ICT Skills Framework aligned with international standards and guided by the Council’s guidelines. He further urged government agencies to harmonize policies and regulations to support skills development and incentivize companies investing in digital training programs.
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Meanwhile, the President of the Digital Bridge Institute, Dr. David Daser, announced that the Federal Government had finalized plans to train five million Nigerian workers in Artificial Intelligence across the public and private sectors over the next three years.
Daser disclosed that the initiative, supported by President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, and the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, was already underway.
“We have a strong foundation and durable infrastructure to build upon. The future is not just bright; it is solid. We assure our partners of our unwavering dedication to effective service delivery as we continue to foster and sustain collaborative efforts toward making the world a better place for all,” Daser said.
Highlighting this year’s theme, “Preparing Today’s Workforce for Tomorrow’s Market,” he noted that emerging technologies such as AI, 5G, IoT, and cybersecurity are rapidly reshaping the global workplace, necessitating urgent workforce readiness.
Established on May 20, 2004, as a center of excellence for ICT training, the DBI has achieved several milestones in recent months. These include partnerships with the Small Business Training Solutions Group, the launch of the Global Training Partner Programme in Lagos, the graduation of Sightsavers training cohorts in Kano and Lagos, and the commissioning of the Information Access Centre by the minister.
While acknowledging past challenges, including difficulties in paying staff salaries and deteriorating infrastructure, Daser affirmed that the institute had rebounded with renewed focus and determination to deliver impactful ICT training and drive Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.
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