Microsoft dropped a bombshell Tuesday: its team-up with Nigeria’s Federal Government has digitally empowered over four million folks since 2021, with 350K diving into student programs—63K finishing pathways, 43K snagging global certs—and now gearing up another 350K for AI mastery via the National Skills Initiative (AINSI) alongside Data Science Nigeria and Lagos Business School.
West Africa Government Affairs Director Nonye Ujam and Country GM Abideen Yusuf hyped the push at Lagos’ media huddle, noting Nigeria’s 8.7% AI adoption trails Sub-Saharan Africa’s 10% but could unlock $1.5T GDP boost by 2030 for its youth-heavy workforce—fueling devs via DevsInGov and 3MTT (645 analytics/AI trainees, 1K in DevOps/ML/data science), while LBS Dean Olayinka David-West trained 99 public leaders from 58 agencies on ethical AI for governance, ag and credit.
Data Science Nigeria’s Bayo Adekanmbi (via Aanu Oyeniran) cheered 38 grassroots partners equipped for barrier-free learning, stressing ecosystem-wide readiness in frontier innovation, infra and skills—positioning Nigeria as Africa’s AI frontrunner with responsible, inclusive tech that supercharges every sector.
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