Boys and girls, I know the phrase I’m about to say is almost as extinct as the dinosaurs, but I come bearing good news from the Federal Government (FG) of Nigeria.

What’s going on?

On Thursday, January 30, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, announced the launch of the DeepTech_Ready Upskilling program, an initiative of his ministry aimed at equipping Nigerian youths with foundational and advanced tech skills that’ll make them competent professionals in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science.

The program lasts six months and is hybrid— self-paced online (with online support) and on-site.

Will I have to pay to partake in the DeepTech_Ready program?

No, just like the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) initiative of the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, this program is free.

What courses will I learn?

The DeepTech_Ready Upskilling program promises to take applicants on the following specialities:

  • Advanced Data Analysis and Visualization
  • Data Science/Machine Learning
  • Data Architecture
  • Geospatial Data Science
  • Computer Vision
  • Natural Language Processing
  • Advanced Machine Learning Techniques

Am I eligible for the program?

According to the website, the DeepTech_Ready Upskilling program is “open to 3MTT Fellows and individuals with basic to intermediate knowledge in relevant technical fields.”

How can I apply?

The application process is pretty straightforward— You will have to click on the website to get started. Once on the website, you will immediately see the “Apply” button which leads you to the “Sign Up” page, where you see the option to apply either as a fellow (learner) or an Applied Learning Cluster (organisation).

The required data for registration varies for each option; while the fellows/learners are only required to input their National Identification Number (NIN) and email address, Applied Learning Clusters/Organisations are required to provide the following: Organisation name, Point Of Contact’s details  (name, email, and phone number), Organisation Type, state of the training centre, and Local government.

Aiming to reach 20,000, the DeepTech_Ready Upskilling program is facilitated by Data Science Nigeria and powered by Google as part of its ₦2.8 billion grant to upskill Nigerian youths with advanced technical skills in Data Science and AI.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, also notes that the initiative is part of his ministry’s broader goal to strengthen “the 3MTT initiative of the Nigerian government.


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