The Federal Government has launched a nationwide free training programme designed to equip 10 million Nigerians with skills in financial literacy and inclusion.

According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications,
Stanley Nkwocha, the initiative will give priority to women and youth. It will focus on key financial skills, digital capabilities, and investment knowledge to foster sustainable wealth creation in Nigeria’s expanding digital economy.

In the statement, the programme is being implemented by the Office of the Vice President through the Presidential Committee on Economic & Financial Inclusion, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Professional bodies supporting the initiative include the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, the National Institute of Credit Administration, the Chartered Risk Management Institute, and the Nigeria Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Vice President Kashim Shettima described the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Government and six professional bodies as “a strategic national investment in capacity as infrastructure—the human, institutional, and ethical foundations on which inclusive growth must rest.”

“Financial inclusion is not achieved by access alone, but by competence, trust, and capability. This MoU therefore establishes a working framework to harness the collective expertise of ICAN, CIBN, CIS, CRMI, NICA, and NIIE to advance inclusion through capacity building, advocacy, digital transformation, youth empowerment, and support for small and medium practitioners,” he added.

Senator Shettima stressed that the programme gives priority to women and youth, noting that Nigeria’s demographic dividend can only be realised if young people are equipped with the necessary skills and ethical foundation to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital economy.

The President of ICAN, Mallam Haruna Nma Yahaya, commended the government’s economic reforms and pledged the institute’s professional support for the programme. Mr. Emmanuel Lennox, CEO of WAWU Africa, the programme’s technical partner, affirmed their readiness to provide the digital platform and an enabling environment to ensure effective training delivery.

The Technical Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion, Dr. Nurudeen Abubakar Zauro, highlighted the rationale for the initiative, emphasizing that financial inclusion requires not just access, but also equipping individuals and institutions with the skills to use available infrastructure responsibly and sustainably.

The highlight of the event was the signing of the MoU between the Federal Government and the six professional bodies, officially launching the nationwide training programme.

Nigeria continues to grapple with major challenges in youth education and skills development, leaving many young people outside formal employment or training opportunities.

Recent labour force data for the first quarter of 2024 showed that 14.4% of Nigerians aged 15 to 24 were neither in school, employed, nor engaged in any form of training, highlighting a substantial segment of disengaged youth.