The Federal Government on Thursday announced the launch of the DeepTech_Ready Upskilling program, an initiative designed to equip Nigerians with the foundational skills and advanced competencies required to thrive in the fields of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, who announced the launch, said the program was also part of efforts to strengthen the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) initiative of the government.
“I am pleased to announce the launch of the DeepTech_Ready Upskilling programme — another important step on our journey to transform Nigeria into a leading hub for digital skills and development.
“Young people across Nigeria can apply here: https://lnkd.in/e9auSgkq to get a unique opportunity to advance their tech skills in emerging technologies — with a particular focus on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) — and apply their skillset for the growth of our digital economy,” the Minister wrote in a post announcing the program.
Who can apply?
According to the program’s website, the training is open to 3MTT fellows and individuals with basic to intermediate knowledge in relevant technical fields.
- It added that the 6 months (per cohort) program is a combination of self-paced and on-site learning with online support.
- Courses to be offered under the program include Advanced Data Analysis and Visualization; Data Science/Machine Learning; Data Architecture; Geospatial Data Science; Computer Vision; Natural Language Processing; and Advanced Machine Learning Techniques.
Powered by Google grants
Tijani noted that the DeepTech_Ready Upskilling program is supported by Google as part of their N2.8 billion grant to upskill young Nigerians in AI.
- He said the capacity-building program is facilitated by Data Science Nigeria (DSN).
- In October last year, the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy announced N2.8 billion in support from Google to accelerate AI talent development across Nigeria.
- The support, which was provided as a grant from Google.org to Data Science Nigeria, was to bolster the Ministry’s ongoing AI-driven initiatives to upskill youth and under- and unemployed Nigerians, with a focus on AI skill development and education.
- That gesture followed a N100 million commitment from Google to the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) AI Fund, which was announced in September.
According to a statement from the Ministry, the grant was part of Google.org’s broader $5.8million commitment to support digital skills programs across Sub-Saharan Africa.
It further disclosed that the N2.8billion Google.org grant will support Data Science Nigeria’s work with the Federal Ministry’s AI talent development programs, including:
- DeepTech Ready Upskilling Programme: To provide 20,000 young Nigerians with advanced technical skills in data science and AI, preparing them for careers in this rapidly growing field.
- Experience AI Programme: To equip 25,000 educators with the tools and resources to teach 125,000 young people about AI, inspiring the next generation of AI innovators.
- Government AI Campus Programme: To upskill policymakers and public servants in AI policymaking, ensuring that Nigeria’s AI policies are developed and implemented responsibly.
