No fewer than 72,850 Nigerians applied for the Federal Government’s Digital Training Academy (DTA), with only 16,000 selected for the inaugural cohort of the free digital skills programme.
The National Coordinator, Special Projects and Innovation Unit (SPOIU), Federal Ministry of Education, Adebayo Onibanjo, disclosed this on Wednesday at a media briefing ahead of the national launch of the academy scheduled for September 14, 2026.
Onibanjo said the registration window, which opened on August 17 and closed on September 1, attracted applications from Nigerians across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
According to him, 19,699 applicants met the qualifying benchmark, while 16,000 learners were eventually selected for the academy’s first cohort.
The DTA is a Federal Government backed initiative designed to provide young Nigerians with globally recognised digital skills at no cost.
It is being implemented under the Nigeria Education Digital Infrastructure (NEDI) programme, a flagship intervention of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI).
The ministry said the initiative is aimed at supporting the development of a highly skilled workforce capable of competing in the global digital economy, while complementing existing government investments in digital skills development.
Training for the inaugural cohort will be delivered through two international learning platforms, Coursera and Pluralsight.
The programme aligns with the human capital development objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda and forms part of the Data and Digitalisation pillar of NESRI.
Onibanjo quoted the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, as describing the academy as “the next phase of President Tinubu’s commitment to building a highly skilled workforce capable of competing in the global digital economy.”
He said the selection of 16,000 learners marked only the beginning of the academy’s national expansion.
“This cohort of 16,000 is DTA’s first, not its last. It represents a significant step toward the Academy’s national ambition, and it establishes the foundation, the systems, and the delivery partnerships on which subsequent cohorts will be built,” Onibanjo said.
The ministry is expected to announce further details on the academy’s expansion plans and subsequent cohorts during the national launch on September 14.
The Federal Ministry of Education thanked the thousands of Nigerians who applied and acknowledged the support of partner institutions and organisations, including the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Yaba College of Technology, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Coursera and Pluralsight.
The ministry also urged the media to support the programme as the Federal Government seeks to widen access to world class digital skills for young Nigerians across the country.
