NITDA DG: Africa Must Link Digital Skills to Jobs, Business Growth

Africa must move beyond simply training young people in digital skills and create clear pathways that enable them to secure jobs, build businesses and improve their livelihoods, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has said.

Abdullahi made the call while participating in a high-level panel on “Scaling Africa’s Digital Workforce” at the UNGA81 side event, Nigeria at Scale: Building Digital Systems for Shared Prosperity.

He joined Gabon’s ICT Minister, Mark Doumba, and Oji Udezue, Product Leader and Investor and former Chief Product Officer at Calendly and Typeform, at the session moderated by Joannes Paulus Yimbesalu, Founder of Nanaade and Africa Skills Alliance and Fellow, Social Innovation + Change Initiative, Harvard Kennedy School.

The NITDA DG said trust in digital credentials, connectivity and access to market demand remained critical barriers between acquiring digital skills and earning a first income.

Highlighting Nigeria’s approach through programmes including DL4ALL, 3MTT, Project BRIDGE and the Talent Registry, Abdullahi said the success of digital-skills initiatives should not be measured only by the number of people trained, but by how effectively the skills help Nigerians secure opportunities, increase productivity, grow businesses and participate meaningfully in the digital economy.

He also called for digital inclusion to extend beyond formal employment, stressing that traders, artisans, farmers, mechanics, transport operators, food vendors and other entrepreneurs could benefit significantly from technology and Artificial Intelligence.

According to him, digital skills for these groups should translate into practical capabilities such as using smartphones productively, accepting digital payments, marketing through social media, finding customers and suppliers, maintaining digital records, protecting against fraud, accessing digital services and using AI tools to improve productivity.

“The question is not, ‘Can this person get a technology job?’ It is, ‘Can technology help this person earn more, reduce costs, reach more customers and run a better business?’” Abdullahi said.

He further called for greater attention to be given to the gap between learning and earning, urging stakeholders to focus on creating pathways that connect digital training with verifiable capabilities and real economic opportunities.

“Fund the corridor, not another classroom,” Abdullahi said, emphasising the need to connect digital skills with opportunities that can translate into actual income and improved livelihoods.