JUST IN: Microsoft to invest $1m in AI skills training for one million Nigerians

Tech giant Microsoft has announced a $1 million (approximately ₦1.6 billion) investment in Nigeria over the next two years, aiming to equip one million Nigerians with Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills.

The announcement was made during the ongoing Microsoft AI Tour in Lagos by Ola Williams, Country Manager for Microsoft Nigeria & Ghana, alongside Lillian Barnard, President of Microsoft Africa.

Williams emphasized that the investment aligns with Microsoft’s mission to empower individuals and organizations with digital skills, ensuring Nigeria remains competitive in the global AI revolution.

“This announcement is one of the ways that we bring this mission to life. I’m thrilled. I am so delighted to announce that, as Microsoft in Nigeria, will be investing one million dollars in the next two years to empower one million Nigerians.

“This is a significant investment in our efforts to ensure that everyone has access to the right skills that they require to really not just only use AI, but to build solutions on AI, build businesses on AI that still be a sustainable means of livelihood for Nigerians.

She thanked Microsoft for believing in Nigeria and Nigerians.

“Thank you, Microsoft for this great investment. The truth is that Microsoft’s interest in Nigeria is beyond business. We want to impact lives and the economy positively”, the country manager said.

The AI Skill Development programme, Techeconomy gathered, is for startups, businesses and government officials.

Also speaking, Lillian Bernard, said Microsoft has been operating on the Continent for three decades, but with a unified team, the global tech giant has opened new opportunities for partners in Africa.

“It is such a great responsibility to come to market like Nigeria to deliver this message. This is part of Microsoft’s commitment on the Continent. As technology evolves, so are the skills. Most of the jobs now are AI jobs, unfortunately there are no enough people to to handle these jobs. We believe this initiative is such a platform to upskill the people”.