Can 3MTT turn Nigeria into a global tech talent powerhouse?

Will Nigeria’s 3 Million Technical Talents Initiative bridge the growing tech talent gap while positioning its workforce for global opportunities? 

In November 2023, Maryam Shuaibu Aliyu was scrolling through Facebook on her phone at home in Kano when she stumbled on a post announcing Nigeria’s 3 Million Technical Talents (3MTT) programme.

Despite not knowing how to use a laptop proficiently, Aliyu, a Bayero University graduate, volunteer teacher, and mother of two, felt a pull. 

“I would never have imagined learning a tech skill if I hadn’t come across the programme,” said Aliyu, who was selected as one of 31,270 fellows for the first cohort of the 3MTT. 

The four-year initiative, launched by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, wants to transform Nigeria into a hub for global tech talent. The minister, Bosun Tijani, calls it “the largest technology talent accelerator in the world.” President Bola Tinubu also referred to it during his October 2024 Independence Day speech, outlining it as one of his administration’s big plans.

Over 1.7 million people applied to join one of the 12 technical skills offered through the programme: software development, UI/UX design, data analysis and visualisation, quality assurance, product management, data science, animation, AI/machine learning, cybersecurity, game development, cloud computing, and DevOps. 3MTT received applications from almost all of Nigeria’s 774 local governments, partnering with data verification startup Prembly to vet the applicants. 

Francis Sani is the Technical Adviser to the Minister on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Capital and is also in charge of the programme. According to him, the decision to focus on these skills came after stakeholder engagement, driven by the need to equip Nigerian youth with skills experiencing rapid growth in demand on both national and global basis. 

The local talent, global opportunity vision

Every year, thousands of Nigerians migrate to seek opportunities abroad. This Japa phenomenon often means that these talents, their taxes, and income are spent boosting other economies. As the global demand for technical talent intensifies, driven by sectors like AI, data science, and software, many more young Nigerians need help to compete and access these opportunities. Beyond Nigeria, this challenge is common to countries with large populations–like Brazil, India, and Kenya–which are beginning to introduce policies and initiatives aimed at upskilling their populations to remain competitive in the global economy.

In Nigeria, several digital training and talent outsourcing companies have popped up in the last decade to train thousands of people in core technical skills and help them find placements. 

In 2014, Andela was founded with its “talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not” ethos, training software developers and placing them at jobs in US companies and elsewhere. Andela became renowned for its rigorous selection process, admitting only the top 1% of engineers trying to get into the programme. By 2019, Andela was pivoting from a junior-first model to senior talent sourcing, with its CEO Jeremy Johnson saying, “We haven’t been able to scale remote, junior placements, in part because boot camps and CS programs have grown rapidly over the past five years, and we’re no longer able to lead with a junior first strategy.” 

In 2016, Hotels.ng CEO Mark Essien, frustrated by his inability to find local technical talent, started the HNG Internship program with almost 200 design and software engineering interns. An average program runs for 3-6 months, with thousands of interns participating in a free high-intensity internship, powering through ten stages of challenges. The 2023 cohort started with over 22,000 people at the first stage and ended with less than 500 by the end of the tenth stage. 

More recently, companies such as Decagon, ALX, and AltSchool have built programmes to train technical talent and make them more competitive for global talent opportunities. These three companies have cumulatively trained over 146,00 people across varying levels of expertise in the past decade.

“We know there is a demand for tech jobs, and the demand isn’t small. It is why we can’t do a small number.” 

Collectively, these initiatives and others like them operate on the belief that Nigeria, with its youthful population, can meet local and global demand for tech talent. According to a Statista forecast, by 2030, around 28 million jobs in Nigeria will require digital skills, positioning these programmes as essential for the country’s economic future. 

3MTT is the government’s approach to creating a technical talent pipeline through mass inclusion, targeting Nigerians in urban and rural areas and communities traditionally left behind. 

Sani explains that this is a unique situation where Nigeria’s population supply can meet global demand. “We know there is a demand for tech jobs, and the demand isn’t small. It is why we can’t do a small number,” 

This ministry is betting on 3MTT as a crucial lever for Nigeria’s growing digital economy. The ICT sector went from contributing 14.07% in the Q2 GDP of 2020 to 19.78% Q2 GDP in 2024. The ministry aims to increase this contribution to 22% of the GDP by 2027. 

“If we say that there is an opportunity for us to make our digital economy a lot larger, the ingredients are the people,” Sani says.

The structure of 3MTT

After she was selected, Aliyu underwent a three-month learning journey on the cybersecurity track. The process began with self-paced online courses on Edtech platforms like Coursera, AltSchool, ProductDive, and IHS Academy, where she and fellow participants were introduced to foundational concepts in their chosen fields. 

The 3MTT programme uses a tiered 1-10-100 structure, starting with a small cohort and scaling efficiently while learning from each phase. The first phase (1%) surpassed the 30,000 goal, onboarding 31,270 fellows, with each cohort lasting three months. The next phase (10%), which began in August 2024, will ramp up the number of fellows to 300,000, while the last phase, which will end in 2027, will hit the 3 million target (100%). 

“3MTT isn’t just a training program,” Sani explained. “We want to build an ecosystem for technical talent development.” 

Aliyu also participated in physical learning sessions with other fellows at Aisha Kwaku and Associates, a Cisco Networking Academy based in Kano. This facility is one of the 120 applied learning clusters (ALCs) that make up the in-person, hands-on component of 3MTT. 

Applied Learning Clusters offer digital training to people across disciplines and skill levels; 3MTT leverages its existing expertise and facilities to train fellows. They also offer fellows a chance to apply their skills in real-world environments, ensuring a blend of theory and practice, and find community, which is critical to their success if they build capacity.

A structured program like 3MTT can give fellows a head start in a potential tech career, but proficiency will come from continuous practice and exposure to real-world challenges. 

“The journey from learning a new skill to getting a job is not something we expect to be instant.

“I wouldn’t say I am very proficient in Excel, but I know how to use the tool to an extent,” said Obi Confidence, another Cohort One fellow under the data analysis track in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. “You don’t expect them to impart everything in 12 weeks. 3MTT gave me the basics, and I’d like to explore more,” 

Confidence, a National Open University of Nigeria student, plans to apply for internships after graduation to work on real-life projects. 

However, the transition from training to real-world competency isn’t always seamless. According to Ashley Immanuel, cofounder of Semicolon, employers often express frustration with outcomes from short-term programs. “We’ve talked to employers who have experience recruiting from the Nigerian talent pool; they’ve tended to say that shorter-term hybrid or online training programs don’t give them the outcomes they want,” This often means that employers still have to spend time and resources on upscaling entry-level hires. The base level required to work in these companies is higher than what many of these programs set.

Shorter-term learning programs lower the barrier for people to begin their journey, but Francis Sani admits, “The journey from learning a new skill to getting a job is not something we expect to be instant.” He explained further, “As the learners refine their skills and career readiness capabilities, they will continue to access more opportunities directly through 3MTT or otherwise. We expect to see a larger percentage of our project goals achieved in the mid-term.”

Of the fellows selected for Cohort 1, 73% participated in physical learning. Over 6,000 fellows (19%) completed the program.

3MTT reports that it has generated over 3,500 jobs for its fellows, resulting in an 11.21% placement rate for Cohort 1. It also claims to have created 4,000 micro-job opportunities. These roles, we’ve learned, are an entry-level mix of full-time, internship, or contract roles at startups, corporates, the public sector, and more. 

Immanuel’s sentiment reinforces the long-term challenge of programs like 3MTT. If the ultimate measure of success in the short term is the placement of graduates, then more comprehensive and intensive training may be required. 

Yet, focusing exclusively on job placement as a success metric may miss the broader impact 3MTT could have. Even before measuring employment outcomes, the program would already have tackled an important challenge: opening up access to the possibility of technology careers for millions of Nigerians.

At the end of their three-month programme, fellows in Cohort 1 continue to have access to their learning dashboard, a job board and their local learning community, where community managers continue to organise engagement events. The fellow’s journey will be carried by self-persistence for the rest of the way. 

“We don’t know the reality of our country”

Umar Mustapha, a community manager in Katsina, says 3MTT is the first kind of tech training in the state, citing low digital literacy and a lack of tech presence, unlike cities like Kano.

“People don’t understand the courses they signed up for,” Mustapha said. “I remember some people signed up for data analysis and thought they would learn the business of selling (mobile) data.”

Some other participants enrolled in the programme with the expectation of receiving free laptops or money since it is government-run. This has led to significant churn. While 1,400 people in Katsina were selected for the first cohort, only 400 completed the program.

For Tijani, the biggest lesson is correcting stereotypes about tech adaptability nationwide. 

“The surprising thing I have learned with 3MTT is that most of us in Nigeria don’t know the reality of our country. When we received the applications, I was surprised by the number of applications from the Northern country. When we do our monthly showcase, I am surprised at the number of fully covered women who attempt to submit videos of what they learned. The diversity of the people is surprising.” 

What will it cost to train 3 million technical talents? 

Learning programmes have several moving parts. For 3MTT, the ministry has relied on private-sector partnerships to unite the moving parts, from curriculum and content development to personnel costs and device financing. In October 2023, telecom tower operator IHS Towers committed ₦1 billion over three years to support hiring 37 community managers for each state and the FCT. 

A key part of the programme includes the online learning component. The ministry partnered with massive open online course (MOOC) providers to give their fellows free access to courses. For devices, the ministry facilitated over ₦5 billion ($3 million) in financing, allowing fellows to get devices and pay instalments in twelve months in partnership with Rayda and The Alternative Bank.  

According to a report, 3MTT paid ACLs ₦20,000 ($12) for each fellow. This means it would have cost an estimated $360,000 to make 1% progress. Since the ministry bore this cost, government payment cycles have become a pain point for learning partners. 

“ALCs went through the program and spent a lot of money but couldn’t get payment on time. The last payment happened sometime in August, just before the kick-off of cohort two, and that payment was due since the completion of Cohort 1 in April,” said Olabanji Ajiboye, who leads product and programs at EarlyFounders Labs, a training provider in Akwa Ibom. “(But) These problems were communicated to the ALCs, and there was transparency,” he added.

Sani admits that the first cohort had its challenges, and the team “has the learnings to improve for Cohort Two. We have done it with Cohort 1, built our learning systems, and are building our placement system.”

“Sitting at CCHub, for me it was clear that we don’t accelerate a structured way to bring people into tech, we are actually not going to help our tech ecosystem.”

The next phase–which will train 270,000 fellows–is divided into three cohorts: Cohort Two (60,000), Cohort Three (90,000) and Cohort Four (120,000). The following phase will cover six cohorts and target one million participants. 

By the time the 3MTT programme records its 3 millionth fellow, it would have taken four years and cost over $30 million, assuming the cost of training a fellow remains constant. To put that into perspective, the ministry’s total budget for 2024 is ₦28.54 billion ($17 million). 

Tijani and his team’s ability to leverage strategic partnerships within the private sector has turned out to be crucial in getting 3MTT started and on track, but they will need much more to push the project to the finish line. Creating a pool of tech talent is also a key priority for the minister, whose experience co-founding Co-Creation Hub (CCHub) has shaped 3MTT’s approach. 

“Before now, technology talent in Nigeria was being driven by less than 10,000 people,” Tijani explained. “Even Andela didn’t train 10,000 people [at the time]. The people who built the startup ecosystem in Nigeria were less than 10,000. Sitting at CCHub, for me it was clear that we don’t accelerate a structured way to bring people into tech, we are actually not going to help our tech ecosystem.”

As the programme scales, it will need consistent funding through public-private partnerships, expand international collaboration, and innovate around financing models. It will also need to figure out how to rapidly provide job placements and build a competitive tech workforce. Finally, beyond Tijani and even Tinubu’s terms in office, it will need to devise a sustainable structure that makes the programme immune from the whims of successive governments. 

The placement gap

A big question is what to do with a ‘tech upscaled’ population amidst rising unemployment and a contracting market owing to high costs. There’s also a growing concern about the skills gap in Nigeria’s tech industry. Many employers are struggling to find candidates with the specific skills and experience they require as more experienced talent continues to leave the country in droves in search of better opportunities. 

These countries of destination have specially designed skilled worker programs, such as Canada’s Global Talent Stream and the UK’s Skilled Worker Visa, optimised to attract advanced talent from developing economies like Nigeria.  

While the 3MTT fellows represent the beginning of a new generation of digital talent, they won’t immediately fill this gap, especially in mid and senior-level positions. As Sani puts it, “The role that 3MTT plays from a training perspective is to boil the ocean for the ecosystem. We focus on providing entry-level skills to Nigerians who otherwise wouldn’t have access to them.” This program is designed to tackle the foundation-level talent shortage with a long-term view of building that talent pipeline from the ground up. 

Bridging the gap between training and employability is the next critical step. The success of 3MTT will depend not just on training but on the local ecosystem’s ability to use this influx of entry-level talent. 

Tijani believes that more startups should be offering placement opportunities to fellows. “3MTT is a foundational program to get you in. We need the support of the ecosystem.” 

The argument is that solving the talent gap in the ecosystem requires all hands on deck. Startups should create an opportunity for entry-level hires to upskill and have access to mentorship to grow into senior roles.

Working back to the foundation

Nigerian tertiary institutions produce hundreds of thousands of graduates every year. In 2017 alone, Nigerian universities produced 266,293 graduates, not accounting for polytechnics and colleges of education. 

Yet, despite the sheer volume of graduates entering the workforce, many need to be equipped for the demands of the digital economy, where jobs increasingly require digital skills with varying levels of technical proficiency. 

3MTT is bridging a critical gap in the short to mid-term, but to achieve true rigour and scale, the solution may lie beyond short-term training programs alone. On this, Tijani believes that the long-term rigour will not be learnt in classrooms but on the job. While they’ll continue to improve their placement systems, work with the Ministry of Education has began. 

“We are actively collaborating with the Ministry of Education on an Ed-tech strategy for Nigeria,” the minister said, “and will work together to support the strengthening of the technical talent and digital literacy curriculum in our educational institutions.”

In countries like Estonia, India, and Singapore, digital literacy and emerging technologies have become a core part of their curricula at the tertiary level. If Nigerian schools adopt a similar approach, the job to be done of 3MTT and its programs will become an essential part of the national curriculum. That way, students graduate with academic degrees and industry-ready skills. 

According to a report by the International Finance Corporation, 230 million jobs in sub-Saharan Africa will require digital skills. Embedding these competencies into Nigeria’s tertiary education system would transform the country’s workforce at scale, ensuring that millions of graduates are not only eligible for entry-level positions but also equipped with the skills and mindset required to drive innovation and compete globally. This would shift the narrative from crucial short-term fixes to a long-term sustainable solution, where the nation’s education system becomes the engine for producing world-class tech talent.

The long road ahead

Aliyu, who joined 3MTT on the cybersecurity track, currently works as a facilitator at the ALC where she got her tech start. “I have been trying to go deeper because three months couldn’t cover everything,” she said. Aliyu said she plans to take more advanced courses on cybersecurity to better prepare her for roles in the industry. She’s also on the lookout for internship opportunities. 

Though 3MTT is opening new doors for thousands of people like Aliyu across Nigeria, the short-term gaps–from mismatched expectations to placement bottlenecks–are undeniable. 

However, the long-term potential remains powerful. In the first cohort, 85% of learners rated their likelihood of recommending the programme to a friend at 7/10 and above. For many participants, 3MTT bridges new opportunities they never thought possible. It would have laid the groundwork for a future tech workforce. While the initial outcomes may be uneven, its ultimate success will depend on its ability to adapt, scale, and connect graduates with meaningful employment opportunities locally and globally. 

It’ll be, as Ashley Immanuel of Semicolon Africa said, “You can’t shortcut transformation.” 

“There’ll always be dropoffs when dealing with large numbers,” Tijani explained. “I have no doubt that whether it’s the 10% of the 3 million target or 50%, there will be a critical number of Nigerians that will now have a career in tech because of 3MTT.”

“For me,” he concluded, “that’s a clear legacy.”  

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