Follow Us on Google Discover
The Federal Government has opened applications for organisations and individual experts to join the delivery network of its Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, with N4 billion in partner funding earmarked to support verified outcomes under Cohorts 5 and 6.
The Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy announced the development on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, in Abuja, in a statement by the Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the Minister, Isime Esene.
He said the 3MTT Delivery Network would bring together organisations and individual experts capable of training Nigerians in digital and technical skills.
3MTT shifts focus to industry-driven training
The delivery partners will help participants acquire technical skills and connect them to employment, freelance opportunities and entrepreneurship.
Also Read
- “Working with 3MTT, they help more Nigerians gain the skills employers need and move into jobs, freelance work or their own businesses,” Esene said.
The N4 billion partner funding is earmarked to support a demand-led, results-based approach to technical skills development, linking training to demonstrable industry needs and tying financing to verified outcomes rather than training numbers alone.
Cohort 5 will be supported by the European Union and Denmark through GIZ Digital Transformation Centre Nigeria, HAUS and ESTDEV. It will also receive a grant from the MacArthur Foundation through Blue Sapphire Hub.
The latest phase marks a shift from expanding training numbers to meeting demonstrable industry demand, with the programme seeking to connect skills development to evidenced employment and business opportunities.
FG targets industry-driven digital skills development
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, said achieving the programme’s target of developing three million technical talents would require a delivery ecosystem that responds to industry demand, reaches communities across the country and can operate at scale.
He described Cohort 5 as an important milestone in the programme’s development.
- “By tying our support to verified demand and real results, we are strengthening the connection between skills, jobs and economic opportunity,” Tijani said.
He added that the approach would strengthen Nigeria’s talent pipeline and improve the country’s competitiveness in the global digital economy.
The Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Massimo De Luca, said young Nigerians were among the country’s greatest assets and that the EU was proud to support the government in turning their talents into employment opportunities.
How organisations and individuals can apply
The Ministry has invited employers, funders, technology companies, state governments and research organisations to participate in the wider 3MTT Partner Network.
- Organisations and individual experts in Nigeria and abroad can apply to join the Delivery Network through the programme’s website, delivery.3mtt.gov.ng.
- For Cohort 5 funding, applications can be submitted by individual applicants or consortia led by organisations registered and operating in Nigeria. The deadline for funding applications is 11:59 p.m. on November 30, 2026.
Membership of the Delivery Network will remain open, with applications reviewed quarterly. Successful applicants will be admitted as either Enabled Delivery Partners or Funded Delivery Partners under Cohort 5.
3MTT’s employment initiatives
The latest funding initiative builds on the Federal Government’s earlier efforts to connect 3MTT participants with employment opportunities and practical work experience.
In August 2025, Nairametrics reported that the Federal Government was partnering with business process outsourcing (BPO) companies to create job opportunities for 117,000 3MTT fellows, including opportunities to work for companies abroad. The initiative was intended to help trained participants transition into the workforce.
Earlier, in June 2024, the Federal Government announced job opportunities for 30,000 fellows who had completed the programme’s first cohort. The opportunities were to be accessible through the fellows’ 3MTT dashboards, with local and remote roles expected.
