From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Nigeria faces an estimated $11 billion annual loss in economic growth if the digital skills gap is not urgently addressed, according to Shola Oshilaja, Chairman of the Sector Skills Council for Information and Communications Technology (SSC ICT).
Speaking at the 21st anniversary of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) in Abuja on Tuesday, May 20, Oshilaja, represented by SSC ICT Secretary Chukwuemeka Okafor, highlighted the need to prepare Nigeria’s workforce for future markets.
“In Nigeria, the digital skills gap could cost our economy an estimated $11bn annually in lost growth opportunities,” Oshilaja said.
Citing a World Economic Forum report, he noted that by 2027, 69% of global companies will adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI), potentially displacing 85 million jobs while creating 97 million new ones. To address this, he called for policy reforms and educational changes, including integrating coding, cybersecurity, digital marketing, and AI fundamentals into secondary school curricula.
Oshilaja advocated mandatory internships and apprenticeships to institutionalise work-based learning. He urged the Federal Government to develop a National ICT Skills Framework aligned with international standards, guided by SSC ICT expertise. Additionally, he called for government agencies to align policies and offer incentives to companies investing in tech training to bridge the skills gap and boost Nigeria’s digital economy.
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