The Federal Government has flagged off a free nationwide training programme aimed at equipping 10 million Nigerians with financial literacy and inclusion skills.
This was announced in a statement by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications.
The training programme prioritises women and youth, focusing on essential financial skills, digital competencies, and investment knowledge to support sustainable wealth creation in Nigeria’s growing digital economy.
What the FG said
According to the statement, the initiative is being implemented by the Office of the Vice President through the Presidential Committee on Economic & Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI), chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The professional bodies involved are the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), National Institute of Credit Administration (NICA), Chartered Risk Management Institute (CRMI), and Nigeria Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NIIE).
Vice President Kashim Shettima said the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Federal Government and six professional bodies is “a strategic national investment in capacity as infrastructure which is the human, institutional, and ethical foundations upon which inclusive growth must rest.”
“Financial inclusion is not achieved by access alone, but by competence, trust, and capability. This MoU therefore establishes a working framework to harness the collective expertise of ICAN, CIBN, CIS, CRMI, NICA, and NIIE to advance inclusion through capacity building, advocacy, digital transformation, youth empowerment, and support for small and medium practitioners,” he added.
Senator Shettima emphasized that the programme prioritizes women and youth, highlighting that Nigeria’s demographic dividend will only be realised if young people are equipped with relevant skills and ethical grounding for a rapidly evolving digital economy.
More details
The President of ICAN, Mallam Haruna Nma Yahaya, applauded the government’s economic reforms and pledged the institute’s professional support for the programme. Mr Emmanuel Lennox, CEO of WAWU Africa, the programme’s technical partner, assured readiness to provide the digital platform and enabling environment for successful training delivery.
Dr Nurudeen Abubakar Zauro, Technical Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion, explained the need for the initiative, noting that financial inclusion is achieved not only through access but also by equipping people and institutions with the skills to use infrastructure responsibly and sustainably.
The event’s high point was the signing of the MoU between the Federal Government and the six professional bodies, marking the official start of the nationwide training.
What you should know
Nigeria continues to face significant challenges in youth education and skills development, a situation that has kept many young people out of formal employment or training.
Recent labour force data showed that in the first quarter of 2024, 14.4% of Nigerian youths aged 15 to 24 were neither in school, employed, nor participating in any form of training, reflecting a large group of disengaged young Nigerians.
Educational attainment also remains low across the workforce, with about 86% of Nigerians in the labour force having no post‑secondary education, highlighting a gap in advanced learning and specialised skills that are critical in today’s job market.
Nairametrics reports that more than 100 million young Nigerians lack basic digital skills, limiting their access to opportunities in the growing digital economy.
Recognising these challenges, the federal government and its agencies have rolled out several initiatives to improve skills and literacy. Recently, a landmark partnership with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was to equip seven million Nigerian youths with cutting-edge digital skills, entrepreneurial training, and international exposure
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