Mr. Shola Oshilaja, Chairman of the Sector Skills Council for Information and Communications Technology, has cautioned that Nigeria risks losing as much as $11 billion annually in potential economic growth due to its growing digital skills gap.

He made this known through the Council’s Secretary, Mr. Chukwuemeka Okafor, at the 21st anniversary of the Digital Bridge Institute, a training arm of the Nigerian Communications Commission, held on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said, “In Nigeria, the digital skills gap could cost our economy an estimated $11bn annually in lost growth opportunities. The question before us is clear: how do we prepare Nigeria’s workforce not just for today’s market but for tomorrow’s?”

Quoting the World Economic Forum, he noted that by 2027, about 69 per cent of global companies would accelerate their adoption of Artificial Intelligence, with the potential to displace 85 million jobs while creating 97 million new ones.

Oshilaja emphasized the need for immediate policy reforms and educational initiatives to better position Nigeria for the digital economy. He advocated for the integration of coding, cybersecurity, digital marketing, and AI fundamentals into the secondary school curriculum, along with the institutionalization of work-based learning through compulsory internships and apprenticeships.

He also called on the government to establish a National ICT Skills Framework that aligns with global standards and is guided by the Sector Skills Council. Additionally, he urged regulatory agencies to harmonize policies that support skill development and to provide incentives for companies that invest in digital training programs.

Meanwhile, the President of the Digital Bridge Institute, Dr David Daser, announced that the Federal Government had concluded plans to train five million Nigerian workers in Artificial Intelligence across the public and private sectors over the next three years.

He said the initiative was already underway and was receiving support from President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, and the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida.

Daser said, “We have a strong foundation and durable infrastructure to build upon. The future is not just bright, it is solid. We assure our partners of our unwavering dedication to effective service delivery, as we continue to foster and sustain collaborative efforts toward making the world a better place for all.”

He described this year’s theme, Preparing Today’s Workforce for Tomorrow’s Market, as timely, noting that technologies such as AI, 5G, IoT, and cybersecurity are rapidly reshaping the global workplace and require urgent workforce readiness.

Daser said the DBI, established on May 20, 2004, as a centre of excellence for ICT training, had recorded several achievements in recent months.

These include partnerships with the Small Business Training Solutions Group, the launch of the Global Training Partner Programme in Lagos, graduation of Sightsavers training cohorts in Kano and Lagos, and the commissioning of the Information Access Centre by the minister.