About 50,000 young Nigerians across the South-West are set to begin digital skills training on November 18 under the Federal Government-backed iDICE programme, following the completion of participant selection from more than 55,000 applications.
Ethica Resolve Nigeria Limited and PremierHub, the joint venture delivering the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Training-to-Jobs component of the Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) programme in the region, said the training would run until February 20, 2027, with participants receiving career support and access to employers after graduation.
The programme received 55,679 applications from all 137 local government areas across Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states, including more than 7,500 referrals from existing applicants.
George Badejo-Adegbenga, founder and chief executive officer of Ethica Resolve, said selection had been completed using criteria approved by the iDICE Programme Coordination Unit, with the focus now shifting to training delivery and employment outcomes.
“The hardest part of a programme like this is not the teaching. It is reaching the right people in every corner of the region and selecting them fairly,” Badejo-Adegbenga said. “That work is done. Now we have to deliver on the promise we made to these young people and their families.”
iDICE is a Federal Government initiative implemented through the Bank of Industry and co-financed by the African Development Bank, the Agence Française de Développement and the Islamic Development Bank.
The programme targets about 300,000 young Nigerians nationwide through regional training initiatives, with the South-West component focused on developing skills for business process outsourcing and other digitally delivered services.
Training beyond Lagos
Application data suggest demand for digital employment opportunities extends beyond Lagos, traditionally Nigeria’s commercial and technology hub.
Ogun and Oyo states together account for more selected participants than Lagos, according to the joint venture, indicating growing interest in remote work and digitally delivered services across the region.
However, barriers to accessing digital training remain significant.
About 61 percent of applicants own only smartphones, fewer than half said they could train full-time, while two-thirds identified cost as a constraint to participation.
The joint venture said courses had therefore been designed to accommodate mobile devices, with part-time and weekend options to allow participants to combine training with other responsibilities.
WhatsApp will serve as a major communication channel, reflecting the preference of 88 percent of applicants.
Training hubs will also operate in each of the six states for participants without reliable electricity, internet access or suitable devices at home. The hubs will be managed by state liaison officers, with seats allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and priority given to vulnerable applicants.
“We cannot fix the national grid,” Badejo-Adegbenga said. “But we can make sure it does not decide who gets trained.”
Courses linked to employment demand
Participants will choose from 27 courses across foundational, developmental and specialised levels, with the joint venture ranking programmes according to their employment prospects.
The assessment considers whether jobs can be performed remotely from Nigeria, demand in domestic and international markets, and the ease with which entry-level candidates can secure employment.
Courses identified as having relatively strong prospects include artificial intelligence data annotation, digital marketing, cybersecurity, software testing, video editing, data analysis, virtual assistance, IT helpdesk support, sales and lead generation, and customer experience.
Applicants will receive a guide explaining the jobs associated with each course, alongside indicative salaries in Nigeria and overseas, before making their selections.
The programme will also provide a help desk, WhatsApp support and career advisory services to prepare trainees for interviews while they are still undergoing training.
Training progress will be tracked through the joint venture’s candidate management system and reported to the iDICE programme.
Ibukun Obe of PremierHub said training hubs and state liaison officers had been established across the six states ahead of the commencement date.
Graduates to enter employer talent pool
Beyond training, the joint venture is positioning the programme as a pipeline for companies seeking skilled Nigerian workers for digitally delivered services.
Graduates will enter a verified talent pool accessible to employers in Nigeria and abroad at no recruitment cost, while companies will be required to report hires to enable the programme to monitor employment outcomes.
The joint venture said it was continuing to recruit employers locally and internationally, including Indian businesses considering expansion into Nigeria.
Participants who do not immediately secure employment after training will remain in the talent pool and continue receiving career support, it said.
Badejo-Adegbenga said the programme could help Nigeria develop a larger outsourcing industry capable of generating foreign exchange and formal employment.
He cited the Philippines, where the outsourcing industry employs about 1.9 million people and generates approximately $40 billion annually, as an example of the potential of digitally delivered services.
“Nigeria has the English, the time zone and the young population,” he said. “What we have lacked is talent packaged to international standards. Fifty thousand job-ready young people is how you start to change that.”
Wasiu Alli is a business, economics cum data journalist with strong expertise covering macro trends, capital markets, government policies, corporate earnings and comparative economics analysis. Alli turns raw data into trends that not only tells compelling stories but nudges investors to make valued and informed decisions. He’s an alumnus of Lagos State University and trained at Lagos Business School. He formerly heads the Companies and Markets desk at BusinessDay where he writes and supervises the production of well researched articles on earnings updates, corporate sectoral comparisons, market intelligence as well as interviews with C-suite executives.
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