The Federal Government on Monday launched a nationwide free training programme aimed at equipping 10 million Nigerians with financial inclusion, literacy and digital economy skills.
The programme, coordinated by the Office of the Vice President through the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI), is targeted largely at youths and women to enhance their participation in Nigeria’s evolving digital and financial ecosystem.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who spoke on behalf of President Bola Tinubu at the flag-off ceremony held at the Presidential Villa, on Monday Abuja, said Nigeria could only maximise its demographic advantage by investing deliberately in skills development and ethical capacity building.
He explained that the initiative was anchored on the belief that financial inclusion goes beyond access to services and must be supported by competence, trust and institutional capability.
According to him, the programme is designed to provide Nigerians with practical financial knowledge, investment skills and digital competencies required for sustainable wealth creation.
As part of the initiative, the Federal Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with six professional bodies to jointly design training programmes, certification pathways, mentorship platforms and digital skills initiatives.
The bodies include the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, National Institute of Credit Administration, Chartered Risk Management Institute and the Nigeria Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Shettima described the MoU as a strategic national investment in human and institutional capacity, noting that Nigeria could not build a trillion-dollar economy on weak skills, fragmented standards or disconnected professional systems.
He said the collaboration would align professional standards with national financial inclusion goals through structured training, policy engagement, youth empowerment and digital transformation.
He added that priority would be given to women and young Nigerians to ensure inclusive growth in a rapidly changing digital economy.
The Vice President urged the implementing bodies to treat the agreement as a platform for action rather than a ceremonial document, formally declaring the commencement of the free training programme nationwide.
Earlier, President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Mallam Haruna Nma Yahaya, commended the Federal Government for what he described as bold economic reforms that created the foundation for the programme.
He assured of the institute’s full professional support to ensure successful implementation.
Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of WAWU Africa, Mr Emmanuel Lennox, whose organisation is the technical partner for the initiative, pledged readiness to provide the required digital platform and enabling environment for effective delivery.
The Technical Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion, Dr Nurudeen Abubakar Zauro, said the programme was necessary to address financial exclusion driven by limited skills and weak institutional capacity.
He stressed that infrastructure alone could not guarantee meaningful inclusion.
The highlight of the event was the formal signing of the MoU between the Federal Government and the six professional bodies, marking the official commencement of the nationwide capacity-building programme.
