FG, IHS Nigeria partner to establish learning communities for 3m technical talents

By Abubakar Yunusa

The federal government has announced a three-year partnership with IHS Nigeria to establish a learning community for its three million technical talents (3MTT) initiative.
According to a statement on Monday, the partnership will facilitate the setting up of learning communities in the 36 states and the FCT, and provide opportunities for the 3MTT participants to gather weekly, learn, collaborate, and build projects.
“The establishment of these learning communities will also help facilitate the strengthening of local innovation ecosystems across Nigeria,” the statement reads.
“Under this partnership, IHS Nigeria will provide financial support and industry expertise to the initiative and has committed to paying the salaries of the 37 dedicated learning community managers.”
Commenting on the initiative, Bosun Tijani, minister of communications, innovations and digital economy, said the funding provided by IHS Nigeria is a significant commitment that will further support the ministry’s efforts to generate a pipeline of technical talent.
He said the initiative would also contribute to President Bola Tinubu’s ‘renewed hope’ agenda objectives.
“I am excited to welcome IHS Nigeria as a partner on this initiative,” Tijani said.
“Our journey towards a national digital transformation requires significant collaboration between the public and private sectors, and this is the first in a number of partnerships that we intend to secure to achieve our goals as outlined in our strategic blueprint.
“The 3MTT learning community, which will utilise dedicated training spaces in each state, aims to support the development of comprehensive digital skills and prepare participants for the current and future needs of a digital workforce.
“In addition, these communities will provide a dynamic ecosystem that allows participants and community managers to actively engage in knowledge sharing, collaboration, and innovation.
On his part, Mohamad Darwish, chief executive officer (CEO) of IHS Nigeria, said the firm takes pride in “giving back to the people and communities where we operate”.
“We are delighted to partner with the honourable minister of communications, innovation and digital economy and his ministry on the 3MTT initiative,” Darwish said.
“We share the government’s commitment to Nigeria’s economic empowerment and growth, and hope this initiative will feed into president Tinubu’s agenda on job creation while enhancing technical skills.”
On October 13, the federal government launched the 3MTT initiative, calling on organisations interested in providing trainers to apply here.