Nigeria's Federal Government has sealed a landmark partnership with the United Arab Emirates to equip seven million young Nigerians with advanced digital and entrepreneurial skills.
The agreement, reached during a visit to the UAE by Youth Development Minister Ayodele Olawande, will see the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre Sheraa work with the Nigerian Youth Academy NiYA to roll out training in digital literacy, startup skills, and civic leadership.
Talks also included collaboration with the UAE Minister for Artificial Intelligence on future projects in AI education, BPO, and remote work. Back home, NiYA has already registered over 210,000 young Nigerians and plans to open Greenhouse Centres in all 774 local governments to boost grassroots training.
The deal is expected to culminate in a national showcase in September, organised with NITDA, to connect 300 Nigerian startups with global investors. Minister Olawande described the initiative as a step towards positioning Nigerian youth as digital creators rather than just consumers.
