By AKPAN GLORY

No fewer than 1,000 youths across the FCT are to be trained and equipped with advanced digital skills under a new Diaspora-Supported Computer Literacy and Digital Skills Programme.

The initiative followed the signing of a MoU between Friends of Nigeria (FON), a diaspora-led organisation, and the Unveiling and Rebranding Nigeria Initiative (URNI) in Abuja on Thursday.

The programme targets 1,000 youths in the first phase, with an ambitious long-term goal of reaching 30 million young people by 2030.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr John Okoro, Co-founder, Friends of Nigeria, said the partnership marked a shift from traditional diaspora contributions to more active, knowledge-driven engagement.

“We want to take it a complete quarter further to work actively with partners on the ground towards Nigeria’s progress.

“We are pleased to have a visionary organisation that is not about talking, but about doing and inspiring change,” he said.

Okoro said the programme would focus on practical digital and computer literacy, including artificial intelligence and blockchain, to prepare beneficiaries for global competitiveness.

He added that digital skills were breaking down traditional barriers, giving young Nigerians access to global opportunities without migration.

“The world is flat. The borders do not exist any longer for digital skills. Our vision is to have our youths attract global opportunities and make better decisions for the progress of their communities,” he said.

Also, Co-founder of FON, Mr Abiodun Odunuga, said the organisation’s priority was to shift emphasis from remittances to knowledge transfer.

“Beyond sending money, something that cannot be over-emphasised is sending knowledge, because knowledge can be traded for anything,” he said.

He cited India’s success in business process outsourcing as an example Nigeria could learn from, saying the country must harness its youthful population as a productive asset.

“But when these young people are not enlisted, their population becomes a burden.

“The goal is to leverage this partnership to help them become global players, not just job seekers, but job creators,” he said.

Odunuga commended URNI for its understanding of local realities and expressed optimism that the partnership would deliver maximum impact.

Responding, Mrs Obiageri Ndulue, Lead Strategist, Unveiling and Rebranding Nigeria Initiative, said the partnership was a crucial step toward converting Nigeria’s human potential into measurable outcomes.

“We want to see how we can translate us from low-cost to very high-cost. We started out as a group of young people seeking knowledge to equip others.

“We want our accolades to come from the lives that will be changed,” she said.

Ndulue said the long-term ambition of the initiative was to reach more than 30 million young Nigerians across different programmes.

She confirmed that Friends of Nigeria had donated 38 laptops to support the pilot phase.

“We are starting with 1,000 because we want to give them quality results. This is a seed. We want to plant it well, nurture it, and let it grow so that its success becomes the proof that attracts more partners,” she said.

She added that the programme would adopt a “train-the-trainer” approach to create a ripple effect, enabling initial beneficiaries to pass on their knowledge to others.

“The life of one person who becomes a remote worker, starts earning in foreign currencies, and transforms their family, that’s the story we want.

“By focusing on this level of impact, we are not just training youths; we are rebuilding the image of Nigeria from the ground up,” she said. (NAN)