UNESCO REF Media Centre | Digital Skills
Strategic Intervention Programme X1: Digital Technology Capacity Building for 120,000 Young Nigerians a Year
Through Category 2.9 of The August Project, UNESCO REF and global partners deliver training that equips young Nigerians to seize digital opportunity and manage digital risk.
ABUJA, Nigeria. The Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF), through Category 2.9 of The August Project (TAP), is working with global partners to deliver joint training for young people in the digital sector. Under the Strategic Intervention Programme X1 (SIP-X1) on the digital revolution, more than 120,000 young Nigerians will benefit each year.
Global alignmentAlignement mondialThe global commitments this story advances. Open to see how.
- SDG4
SDG 4, Quality Education (primary)
ProvisionTarget 4.4: youth and adults with ICT skills for employment
How SIP-X1 respondsDigital skills for 120,000 young Nigerians a year
- SDG8
SDG 8, Decent Work
ProvisionTarget 8.6: youth employment and training; Target 8.10: access to financial services
How SIP-X1 respondsPrepares youth for the digital and financial economy
- SDG9
SDG 9, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
ProvisionTarget 9.c: access to information and communications technology
How SIP-X1 respondsResponsible adoption of digital technology
- SDG17
SDG 17, Partnerships
ProvisionTarget 17.8: enabling technology; Target 17.17: partnerships
How SIP-X1 respondsJoint training with global partners
- AU
African Union Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa, 2020 to 2030
ProvisionDigital skills and a trusted digital environment
How SIP-X1 respondsBuilds digital capacity among young Africans
- AU
African Union Agenda 2063
ProvisionAspiration 6: development driven by African youth
How SIP-X1 respondsYouth at the centre of the digital economy
Digital technologies are reshaping every sphere of economic and social life, from finance and commerce to education, health and public administration. For a country with one of the youngest populations in the world, the capacity of young people to participate in that transformation, safely and productively, will shape national prosperity for a generation.
Why digital capacity, why now
Pourquoi les compétences numériques, et pourquoi maintenant
Three developments make investment in digital capacity urgent in Nigeria:
- The pace of digitisation across public and private services.
- The expansion of mobile access, bringing millions of new users online.
- Proactive policy initiatives by the Central Bank of Nigeria to deepen digital financial services.
Each brings opportunity, and each brings risk. Without matching skills, user protection and good practice lag behind adoption, leaving new users exposed to fraud, misinformation and exclusion.
The programme
Le programme
SIP-X1 equips participants with the knowledge and skills to seize digital opportunities and to reduce digital risks, so that young people can adopt and adapt to the digital revolution responsibly. It is delivered through the Digital Technology Capacity Building (DTCB) programme, a core component of the TAP Project, which provides structured training and guidance for sustainable participation in the global digital economy.
UNESCO REF holds that early investment in training is essential, so that stakeholders and beneficiaries alike are prepared for fast-changing technologies rather than overtaken by them.
Significance
Portée
At a scale of 120,000 young people a year, SIP-X1 is designed not as a pilot but as a national contribution to digital inclusion. It complements UNESCO REF’s wider digital portfolio, including the GET EDUCATED pathway with the Global Learning Exchange and the ARDAI TIER I programme in artificial intelligence.
ENDS
Notes to editorsNotes aux rédactions
About TAP. The August Project is a UNESCO REF youth capacity-building initiative implemented across categories of education, enterprise and digital skills.
About UNESCO REF. The Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF) works to strengthen human and institutional capacity across Nigeria and Africa through education, research and professional development, in alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Media enquiries. UNESCO REF Media Centre, [email protected]