Meta has partnered with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy to launch AI Academy Nigeria, an initiative aimed at expanding access to artificial intelligence (AI) skills, technical training and innovation opportunities across the country.
The programme is designed to equip Nigerian developers, entrepreneurs, students and young professionals with practical AI skills while creating opportunities for startups to develop and showcase solutions to real-world problems.
Bosun Tijani, minister of communications, innovation and digital economy, said the partnership would strengthen Nigeria’s AI ecosystem through collaboration between the government and private sector.
“Through this partnership, we are equipping developers, entrepreneurs, and young professionals with practical AI skills while creating pathways for innovation and globally competitive startups,” Tijani said.
According to Meta, AI Academy Nigeria will be delivered through the ministry’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme and the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), in partnership with Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria (RAIN).
AI Academy Nigeria to offer three training streams
Meta said the programme will run across three main streams: AI skills development, a startup pitchathon and a six-week developer bootcamp.
The AI skills development programme will cover areas including building generative AI applications with Llama, prompt engineering, multimodal Llama, generative AI for data analytics and generative AI for social media marketing.
The courses will be delivered through self-paced online modules and virtual instructor-led sessions on Coursera, DeepLearning.AI and DataCamp, with participants able to access the training at no cost.
Meta said the top 100 performers will be eligible for scholarships towards paid Meta Blueprint certifications, as well as up to $5,000 in advertising credits.
Meta opens startup pitchathon for Nigerian founders
The AI Academy will also feature a startup pitchathon for early-stage Nigerian startups building solutions with Meta’s AI technologies.
Applications for the competition are scheduled to close on August 21, after which 10 startups will be shortlisted to pitch at GITEX Nigeria on September 3.
Two winning startups will each receive $5,000 in cash funding and $2,000 in advertising credits.
The winners will also receive an all-expenses-paid opportunity to represent Nigeria and pitch at Meta’s AI Summit in Istanbul, Türkiye, scheduled for November 23 and 24.
Sade Dada, Meta’s head of public policy for Anglophone West Africa, said the initiative would provide Nigerian founders and developers with greater access to training, funding and platforms for building AI solutions.
“Nigeria is home to some of Africa’s most dynamic AI talent. What many founders and developers need is greater access to practical training, funding and platforms to build impactful solutions,” she said.
Dada said the programme was designed to help more Nigerians develop AI skills while creating opportunities for promising ideas to move from the local market to the regional stage.
RAIN to run six-week AI developer bootcamp
Meta said RAIN will deliver an intensive six-week developer bootcamp for a selected group of developers and startups.
Participants will receive hands-on training focused on developing functional AI products and market-ready solutions. The bootcamp will also provide technical guidance and access to Meta’s network of AI experts.
Olushola Ayoola, founder and chief executive officer of RAIN, said collaboration among stakeholders would be critical to expanding Nigeria’s AI capacity.
“Building Nigeria’s AI capacity requires the kind of coordinated effort we are seeing here. RAIN is proud to partner with Meta, FMCIDE and 3MTT to deliver a programme that reflects the scale of what is possible when the right partners align around a shared goal,” Ayoola said.
The partnership brings together AI skills development, entrepreneurship and practical product development, with the goal of strengthening Nigeria’s position in Africa’s rapidly growing digital economy.
