My Blog

Tag: digital skills

  • MTN Foundation Trains Over 2,000 Young Nigerians in Digital, Business Skills

    MTN Foundation Trains Over 2,000 Young Nigerians in Digital, Business Skills

    he MTN Foundation has trained more than 2,000 young Nigerians in digital and business skills under its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Skills and Training Programme.

    Speaking on the initiative in a statement, the Executive Director of the MTN Foundation, Mrs Odunayo Sanya, said the programme was designed to equip young entrepreneurs with practical digital skills tailored to their business needs.

    She said small businesses remained the backbone of the Nigerian economy and that supporting young entrepreneurs with simple, affordable digital tools could significantly improve productivity and drive long-term growth.

    According to Sanya, the training, now in its seventh cohort, focuses on helping Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) adopt digital tools to enhance productivity and sustainability. She noted that SMEs account for over 90 per cent of businesses in Nigeria and employ a large proportion of the workforce, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

    The foundation said the programme followed a call for applications in September 2025, which attracted more than 5,000 entries from Nigerians aged between 18 and 35 years.

    Sanya explained that successful applicants are currently participating in a five-week virtual training programme scheduled to end in February 2026. The training began with a general onboarding session across four business tracks and is focused on practical digital growth for small businesses.

    Participants were drawn from sectors including food services, fashion, retail, logistics, beauty and printing, she said, adding that the training emphasises the use of affordable digital tools suitable for small and early-stage enterprises.

    The programme also promotes gradual digital transformation, encouraging participants to digitise basic operations before scaling up over time.

    The sessions are facilitated by a Business Analyst and Digital Transformation Expert, Mr Babajide Jolaolu-Kehinde, who highlighted the benefits of automating repetitive tasks to save time, reduce errors and improve efficiency.

    He introduced participants to tools such as WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business for customer engagement, as well as MTN’s MoMo API for digital payments. Through case studies, he demonstrated how digital tools could help small businesses expand their customer base and increase sales.

    The foundation added that participants would continue to have access to learning materials and recorded sessions throughout the duration of the programme.

  • US-Based Nigerian Media Expert Establishes Media and Digital Centre at IMT Enugu

    US-Based Nigerian Media Expert Establishes Media and Digital Centre at IMT Enugu

    Enugu, Nigeria – Dr. Uchenna Ekwo, a US-based Nigerian media expert and alumnus of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, has established a Media and Digital Centre at the Mass Communication Department of the institute.

    The initiative was aimed at equipping staff and students with essential digital and media literacy skills.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ekwo, who is also the President of the Consortium for International Education and Development (CIED), New York, presented certificates to staff members who completed a training on media and literacy.

    He urged participants to embrace digital skills to adapt to the rapidly changing global landscape and to combat misinformation.

    “As an alumnus, I felt compelled to give back to my alma mater by establishing this centre. Digital and media literacy is no longer optional; it is a civic skill, a professional competency, and increasingly, a survival skill,” Ekwo said.

    He emphasized that citizens must learn to critically evaluate information, question content, and use media responsibly for empowerment rather than manipulation.

    Ekwo explained that the certificates awarded represented commitment, responsibility, and relevance in a digital era. Of the 13 staff enrolled, five successfully completed the rigorous training, marking the first cohort of graduates.

    Prof. Gozie Ogbodo, Rector of IMT, lauded the initiative as aligning with the institution’s goal of ensuring students acquire practical skills alongside academic qualifications. “We expect our students to take advantage of these opportunities to graduate not only with a diploma but also with life-sustaining skills,” he stated.

    A beneficiary of the programme, Mr. Jonah Mamah, described the training as “life-changing” and noted that the digital skills gained would be valuable in their professional and personal lives.

    Ekwo commended CIED for its vision in bridging education, local realities, and global opportunities, and thanked IMT for its intellectual partnership and support in nurturing digitally empowered citizens.

  • SMEDAN Empowers 40 Entrepreneurs With Laptops, ICT Skills

    The Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has trained and empowered 40 entrepreneurs with Information Communication Technology (ICT) and digital skills in Ebonyi.

    The Director-General of SMEDAN, Dr Olawale Fasanya, said this during the closing ceremony of a three-day training and empowerment programme held in Abakaliki on Friday.

    The programme was targeted at young entrepreneurs to improve micro small and medium enterprises.

    Fasanya, who was represented by Mr Chigozie Asochukwu, SMEDAN Coordinator in Ebonyi, said that the importance of ICT in doing business cannot be over-emphasised.

    He said the empowerment programme, which was in collaboration with Dole International Company Ltd., was aimed at giving business owners e-commerce know-how to increase their contributions to the nation’s GDP.

    He reiterated the agency’s commitment to business growth, urging the beneficiaries to practice what they had learnt.

    “This will go a long way in enhancing productivity, customer engagement and give the entrepreneurs a competitive advantage in doing businesses.

    “It will help in digital knowledge and tools needed to grow businesses online as well as enable efficient communication, data management and analysis.

    “This is a three-day training and the participants were engaged in three module including Google digital skills, digital market fundamental and business formalisation,” Fasanya said.

    Mr Njoku Ozoemena, who spoke on behalf of “City Boys Movement”, said the training became necessary to enhance e-commerce in the country.

    Ozoemena hailed the Federal Government for putting up the programme and urged the trainees to utilise the knowledge.

    One of the beneficiaries, Kelechi Njoku, lauded SMEDAN for exposing them to modern skills for business and pledged to utilise what she had learnt.

    The agency later gave laptops to the trainees to enable them promote their businesses.