Telecom
Microsoft, AfDB and FG Partner to Launch Digital Nigeria eLearning Platform
Microsoft in partnership with African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy have launched the Digital Nigeria eLearning Platform, an online tool to provide highly in-demand competitive digital skills to Nigerian youth, irrespective of their location.
The Digital Nigeria eLearning Platform is a key component of the Digital Nigeria programme which aims to empower innovators and entrepreneurs with the requisite skills to thrive in the emerging digital economy.
The programme is in alignment with the African Development Bank’s strategic agenda to create 25 million jobs in agriculture, Information Communication Technology (ICT) and other key sectors by 2025, and to equip 50 million African youth with competitive skills.
The programme will leverage the framework of the Bank’s Coding for Employment programme (supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and Microsoft), which aims to deliver demand-driven, agile and collaborative skills to support African youth to become innovative players in the digital economy, while building synergies between the public and the private sector to create nine million jobs over a 10 year period.
The Digital Nigeria eLearning Platform teaches technical courses such as web development, content creation, data science, etc.
The platform also leverages gamification such as Minecraft to teach problem solving, collaboration, creative thinking and fundamental coding.
The platform will be constantly updated with new courses in respond to market demands, within the country and will leverage further partnerships to provide relevant certified training content.
Content on the platform is accessible via a learning portal hosted on www.digitalnigeria.gov.ng, as well as a mobile app which is available on the Playstore.
The platform is adapted to operate effectively in locations with low-internet connectivity or bandwidth.
Learners are also able to download the courses for offline access through the mobile app, with each course duly compressed to reduce download cost and time.
It also supports personalized learning at scale through its affordable, easy-to-navigate, secured and private interface.
Furthermore, learners can download certificates after they complete their courses.
Representing the Bank at the launch event, Mr. Ebrima Faal, the Senior Director for the Nigeria Country Department, said, “No one could have predicted that a significant disruption of another kind would affect us all in the way that the COVID-19 pandemic does today.
“The impact on our individual lives and on the survival of our companies, groups of people who are connected through a common purpose, is enormous.
“This new normal has also accelerated the demand for digital services and fourth industrial revolution technologies across all sectors.
“From Artificial intelligence, the internet of things, social media communication, digital learning platforms, augmented and virtual reality, drones, 3D printing and so much more – the world has undergone a massive disruption!…
“The African Development Bank is committed to supporting the Nigerian government to realize a fully integrated digital agenda”
Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Minister of Communication and Digital Economy in his address said, “We are championing a paradigm shift that lays emphasis on skills, in preference to merely having degrees without skills.
“Degrees are only meant to validate skills. This is a growing trend across the globe. The digital literacy and skills pillar recognises the fact that citizens are the greatest assets in any economy, including the digital economy. It will support the development of a large pool of digitally literate and digitally skilled citizens”
Ms. Ghada Khalifa, Middle East & Africa Director for Microsoft Philanthropies stated that, “Microsoft Philanthropies is committed to creating inclusive economic opportunities in light of the economic crisis created by COVID-19.
“We are investing in building the capacity of 5 million African youth by 2025, and excited about our collaboration with the African Development Bank and the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy in Nigeria with the launch of the Digital Nigeria platform to provide Nigerians with access to digital skills to meet the demand of the job market” confirmed Ghada Khalifa- Regional Director of Philanthropy, Middle East and Africa at Microsoft.
The Digital Nigeria eLearning platform is providing access to highly relevant digital, entrepreneurial and soft skills, as such we invite Nigerian youth to take advantage of this opportunity to develop skills that would enable you to create more value in the labour market.
Nigeria has exactly 156,662 active fixed wired internet subscriptions as of mid-2026.
This is a tiny fraction compared to mobile GSM networks, which dominate the market with over 154 million subscribers.
The fixed wired market primarily consists of homes and offices using direct physical cables like fiber optics.
Fixed wired services use physical cables, like glass fiber or copper wire, to bring internet directly into a building.
It is like a dedicated, private water pipe for your home. It provides very fast speeds, unlimited data, and is reliable.
In contrast, mobile GSM uses radio waves transmitted from tall towers to phones, acting more like a sprinkler that sprays a signal across an entire neighborhood.
Because laying physical cables across cities is expensive and hard to do, these subscriptions are very rare.
However, the market has seen recent growth, driven largely by Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) services.
The top players are: MTN FibreX with 110,564 subscribers, which is roughly 88.7 per cent of the entire market.
SWIFTNG accounts for about 13,945 connections.
The others are ipNX and 21st Century Technologies which make up the number.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it is intensifying efforts to implement Nigeria’s planned 112 national emergency number following its approval by the National Economic Council (NEC).
NCC
The commission disclosed this during a meeting between Vice President Kashim Shettima and an NCC delegation led by the Chairman of its Governing Board, Chief Idris Ibikunle Olorunnimbe, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Briefing the Vice President, Olorunnimbe said the NCC had already established about 35 Emergency Communications Centres (ECCs) across the country to support a unified national emergency response system.
He said the next phase of implementation would focus on closer collaboration with state governments and emergency response agencies to ensure the effective rollout of the initiative.
The development follows the recent approval by the NEC, chaired by the Vice President, for the adoption of 112 as Nigeria’s single national emergency number across all tiers of government and emergency response agencies.
The council also approved the establishment of a multi-agency implementation committee to be jointly coordinated by the Office of the Vice President and the NCC.
Olorunnimbe stressed that the success of the initiative would depend on the commitment of state governments to support and maintain emergency communications infrastructure, as well as the readiness of response agencies to promptly attend to distress calls.
“We need commitment at every level of all response agencies—from top to bottom—including the Nigeria Police Force, ambulance services across the states and, at the national level, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA),” he said.
Responding, Shettima directed the NCC to develop a comprehensive roadmap for the nationwide implementation of the single emergency number in line with international best practices.
He also urged the commission to work closely with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), citing the agency’s experience in disaster management, relief and rehabilitation.
The Vice President assured the commission of the Federal Government’s commitment to sustaining the initiative, saying funding would be mobilised through the National Economic Council and partnerships with the private sector.
He also called for greater dedication from all emergency response agencies to ensure the success of the programme.
The adoption of 112 is expected to harmonise emergency communications across Nigeria by providing a single number through which citizens can quickly access police, fire, ambulance and other emergency services.
The initiative is also expected to replace multiple emergency contact numbers currently in use and improve coordination and response during emergencies.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that it was strengthening collaboration with state governments and industry players to develop a transparent, cost-based pricing framework for sharing telecom ducts as part of efforts to speed up broadband expansion across Nigeria.
Ayuba Shuaibu, director of Policy, Competition and Economic Analysis, NCC, disclosed this at the Stakeholders’ Forum in Abuja.
Shuaibu said the initiative was designed to build consensus among all parties.
“The primary purpose of this forum is to ensure seamless synergy between the Commission and all stakeholders,” he said.
The director said the consultation was prompted by longstanding complaints over permits, levies and other charges imposed by different levels of government.
He said bringing together state commissioners, telecom operators, tower companies and representatives of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum had helped improve understanding of the issues.
“This engagement is a work in progress. We expect more input from stakeholders before presenting the outcome to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum,” he added.
Dr Helen Adeneye, commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Kogi State. welcomed the consultation, saying Nigeria needs a harmonised policy that clearly defines the responsibilities of both the federal and state governments.
“We need a harmonised policy that allows states to collaborate better with telecom operators and creates a more business-friendly environment,” she said.
Dr Adeneye added that adopting the Dig-Once policy would establish a uniform pricing system and help resolve disputes over charges for telecom infrastructure deployment.
Chidi Ajuzie, chief executive officer, WTES Projects Limited, whose firm is conducting the consultancy study, said the proposed framework would introduce a common cost structure for duct sharing to support broadband investment and economic growth.
“The study is designed to create a uniform pricing model that will drive broadband growth, economic development and wider adoption across the country,” he said.
Ajuzie explained that the consultants had developed preliminary floor and ceiling prices to guide operators while allowing flexibility within the approved range.
He added that the recommendations remain open to industry input before the NCC finalises the framework.
The Dig-Once Policy is designed to reduce the cost and disruption of deploying broadband infrastructure by requiring fibre ducts to be installed whenever roads are constructed or rehabilitated.
The NCC is developing a cost-based pricing framework for sharing these ducts to promote fair pricing, reduce duplication of infrastructure and encourage investment.
The proposed model is expected to support the Federal Government’s broadband expansion targets while improving collaboration between telecom operators and state governments.
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