The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Cisco have partnered to expand and strengthen pathways for young Nigerians to gain future-ready digital skills and access quality employment opportunities.
The initiative, themed “Strengthening Pathways to Digital Skills and Employment for Young Nigerians,” was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing on Friday in Abuja.
The MoU formalises the collaboration between UNDP and Cisco under the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) and highlights the role of strategic private-sector partnerships in preparing young Nigerians for the future of work.
The NJFP is a flagship youth employability initiative of the Federal Government, funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by UNDP.
UNDP Resident Representative Ms Elsie Attafuah said the partnership would strengthen pathways from learning to earning by equipping young Nigerians with the relevant digital skills, mentorship and practical experience needed for sustainable livelihoods.
Attafuah said the partnership would build on the NJFP’s achievements, including placing nearly 35,000 fellows with more than 11,000 host organisations across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
“A young Nigerian’s first opportunity to work can change a life. With relevant skills, mentorship and room to grow, it can also strengthen a business, improve a public service and create opportunities for others.
“That is the promise we come together to advance today. Across Nigeria, young people have talent, ambition and ideas, yet limited experience, access to relevant skills and connections to employers can constrain their prospects.
“Our shared task is to strengthen the journey from learning to earning and from opportunity to lasting livelihoods,” she said.
She lauded the partnership that made the opportunity possible, including the Federal Government, the European Union’s sustained investment, UNDP’s implementation support, and the commitment of state governments, host organisations, mentors and other NJFP partners.
Attafuah said the goal remained to work with partners to help young Nigerians gain experience, build confidence and contribute to national development, adding that Cisco’s contribution would complement these efforts.
According to her, Cisco’s partnership will complement existing workplace placements by providing training in networking, cybersecurity, data analytics, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship.
“These can boost the confidence of a young person’s first technical assignment, accelerate a young woman’s career and aid a small business with knowledge to protect client information or use data to reach customers,” she said.
She urged partners to prioritise inclusion for young women, persons with disabilities and youths in underserved communities.
She also urged employers, state governments and development partners to contribute to strengthening the transition from digital training to employment.
“The ultimate objective remains to make learning practical and accessible, enabling young Nigerians to apply their knowledge to real-world challenges and contribute to national development,” she said.
Ms Yolanda San Jose, Head of Green and Digital Economy at the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said digital transformation was reshaping agriculture, manufacturing, finance, healthcare and public administration.
San Jose said the transformation was making digital competencies increasingly essential for Nigeria’s economic competitiveness.
According to her, Nigeria’s future prosperity will depend largely on its ability to equip young women and men with the skills, opportunities and confidence they need to succeed in a fast-changing global economy.
San Jose said that, in line with its commitment to strengthen the link between education and employment, the EU had invested approximately €44 million in the NJFP.
She lauded the UNDP and Cisco partnership, adding that with continued government leadership, private-sector participation and sustained investment in Nigeria, the NJFP initiative would have an impact beyond its initial implementation target.
She reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to the NJFP and to initiatives that create meaningful opportunities for young Nigerians.
“The European Union, under the Global Gateway strategy, remains committed to working alongside Nigeria to build a more competitive, greener, more digital and more inclusive economy,” she said.
Mr Abdulaziz Saidu, Cisco’s General Manager for Nigeria and Ghana, said the company’s partnership with UNDP would provide access to internationally recognised digital learning resources to strengthen young Nigerians’ employability.
Saidu said Cisco Networking Academy (NetAcad) had already reached more than one million learners in Nigeria, creating a foundation for expanding access to skills increasingly required by employers across multiple industries.
He said Cisco would contribute digital learning content and training opportunities valued at more than $52.7 million, with the initiative targeting 50,000 learners annually over the next three years.
“This initiative reflects a shared commitment to unlocking the immense potential of Nigeria’s youth and preparing them for the future of work,” he said.
Saidu said Cisco was pleased to contribute its expertise to an initiative that prioritised young people’s potential and connected digital learning with practical experience and professional development to enhance Nigeria’s digital and economic growth.
Mr Akubo Adegbe, Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Delivery and Coordination, said digital competencies were becoming essential across every sector.
He said this had made it imperative to prepare young Nigerians to take advantage of emerging opportunities in an increasingly technology-driven economy.
Adegbe lauded the partnership, adding that it would strengthen the government’s efforts to expand employment opportunities by equipping young Nigerians with relevant skills and practical experience.
“The objective has been really simple: to expand opportunities for young people to build the skills and experience they need to work now and in the future.
“We dread not having people to do the job tomorrow, which is why our objective is to build the skills to work today and in the future,” he said.
Adegbe said the government would continue working with its partners and put mechanisms in place to sustain the NJFP and ensure that collaborations produced measurable results for young people and contributed to building a competitive, digitally enabled Nigerian economy.
Mrs Rebecca Oyesola and Ms Abiodun Kayode, NJFP alumnae and fellows, commended the UNDP, Federal Government and EU for the initiative.
They described it as an opportunity to expand employable skills and professional engagement for Nigerian youths.
They said the partnership would strengthen young people’s access to relevant digital competencies, practical learning and career development opportunities, while encouraging more collaboration and sustenance to ensure more young Nigerians benefited.
Through the partnership, Cisco has provided free access via its NetAcad platform for up to 50,000 NJFP fellows and alumni on a rolling basis, facilitated through the Office of the Vice President’s Delivery Unit (OVP-DU).
