The Federal Government of Nigeria has launched an ambitious initiative to provide free nationwide training for ten million citizens in financial literacy and digital skills through a new partnership with six major professional institutes.
Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima officially flagged off the program at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, highlighting its focus on equipping young people and women with the essential competencies needed to thrive in a modern digital economy and drive national inclusion.
Okay News reports that the initiative is being implemented by the Presidential Committee on Economic & Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI), chaired by the Vice President. It formalizes a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), the National Institute of Credit Administration (NICA), the Chartered Risk Management Institute (CRMI), and the Nigeria Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NIIE).
Vice President Shettima stated the collaboration is a strategic national investment in human capacity, arguing that a trillion-dollar economy cannot be built on weak skills or fragmented standards. He emphasized that true financial inclusion depends on competence and capability, not just access, and charged the committee and professional bodies to treat the MoU as a living platform for execution rather than a mere document. The program will involve jointly designed training modules, certification pathways, and digital skill initiatives aimed at strengthening the country’s financial and entrepreneurial workforce.
The technical adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion, Dr. Nurudeen Abubakar Zauro, noted that exclusion is caused not only by lack of access but also by limited skills and weak institutional support. The president of ICAN commended the administration’s economic reforms which made the project possible, assuring the government of their full professional support in achieving its objectives of creating a more inclusive and skilled population for sustainable wealth creation.
