By Stella Odueme
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has disclosed that 2,769,512 digital literacy training achievements were recorded across Nigeria over the past three years through its collaboration with 251 other organisations.
The figure represents 5.54 per cent of the Federal Government’s target of equipping 50 million Nigerians with digital skills by 2027.
The disclosure was made during the unveiling of the National Digital Literacy Dashboard at the 2026 National Digital Literacy Workshop in Abuja.
The dashboard provides a platform for tracking digital literacy interventions nationwide, with 252 organisations reporting activities across the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory and all 774 local government areas.
The initiative is being implemented under NITDA’s Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) programme to expand digital skills through partnerships with government institutions, technology companies, educational institutions, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders.
Speaking at the workshop, NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, said investing in digital capabilities was essential to improving productivity, expanding economic opportunities and preparing Nigerians for the evolving digital economy.
According to the Director of Corporate Communications and Media Relations, Mrs. Hadiza Umar, in a statement on Wednesday, he described human capital as Nigeria’s greatest resource, noting that digital literacy had become as fundamental as reading, writing and numeracy amid the growing influence of technology and artificial intelligence.
“Our ambition is not to turn every Nigerian into an IT professional. Our ambition is to make every Nigerian digitally capable,” he said.
Inuwa explained that the programme was designed to help Nigerians apply digital tools to their existing occupations, enabling traders to manage records and receive electronic payments, farmers to access weather forecasts and market information, teachers to improve learning outcomes, and public servants to deliver more efficient services.
According to the dashboard, young people below 35 years account for 2,092,697 of the reported beneficiaries, while informal-sector workers represent 1,609,183.
Female participation stands at 32.9 per cent, while 65,767 beneficiaries were recorded in rural communities and 17,156 persons with disabilities participated in the interventions.
The figures, however, underscore the need to improve access to digital literacy programmes, particularly among women, rural dwellers and persons with disabilities.
The dashboard also shows that companies account for the largest share of reporting organisations, with 151 entities, representing 59.9 per cent of the total. Government institutions account for 43 organisations, while non-governmental organisations contribute 34.
Among the leading contributors, Cisco recorded 1,073,604 training achievements, followed by NITDA with 960,424 and Meta Platforms Inc. with 333,816.
Other contributors include Imo Digital City Limited, the Sokoto State Ministry of Innovation and Digital Economy, the Bureau for ICT and Digital Economy, technology agencies in Jigawa, Kaduna and Zamfara states, and the Centre for Information Technology and Development.
The NITDA chief said the dashboard would improve coordination among stakeholders, identify underserved communities and ensure that investments in digital skills delivered measurable results.
He noted that the absence of coordinated reporting had sometimes led to the duplication of training programmes in some communities, while other areas remained underserved.
“At NITDA, we see our role as an ecosystem orchestrator,” Inuwa said, stressing that the agency was committed to establishing standards, partnerships and coordination mechanisms to maximise the collective impact of digital literacy initiatives.
He cautioned, however, that recorded training achievements should not be confused with the number of unique Nigerians who had attained a measurable level of digital proficiency.
According to him, training records must be supported by credible assessments of participants’ competencies and their ability to apply acquired skills to improve their lives and communities.
He said NITDA intended to measure progress by determining whether beneficiaries could communicate effectively, protect themselves against online fraud, access information confidently and improve their businesses, jobs and livelihoods.
The National Digital Literacy Framework, established in 2023, provides the foundation for the initiative, outlining six areas of competence: device and software operations, information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, digital content creation, digital safety, and problem-solving.
NITDA launched the DL4ALL programme in 2024 to translate the framework into practical interventions across formal education, workforce development and the informal sector.
Its partnership with the National Youth Service Corps has also facilitated the deployment of Digital Literacy Champions to markets and communities.
Programme records show that the informal-sector initiative has engaged more than 20,000 trainers and reached over 803,000 trainees.
The National Digital Literacy Framework targets 70 per cent digital literacy by 2027 and 95 per cent by 2030, in line with the Federal Government’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
Earlier, speakers at the workshop urged state governments, technology companies, educational institutions, development partners and civil society organisations to register their interventions and provide credible data for the dashboard.
They emphasised that achieving the national digital literacy targets required collective action and sustained collaboration among public and private sector stakeholders.
The initiative ultimately seeks to make digital literacy accessible to all Nigerians, enabling them to improve productivity, access economic opportunities and contribute to national development.