The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) will be holding a free digital literacy workshop for 20,000 Nigerian Youth. Tagged as the Digital States Initiative, this training program aims to gather 540 youths from each state of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Currently under its second phase, the digital literacy workshop will open its doors for registration on June 7 and close by June 18, 2021. Beneficiary states include: Katsina, Kaduna, Borno, Bauchi, Niger, Nasarawa, Ekiti, Oyo, Imo, Bayelsa, and Abia.
NITDA has partnered with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria (NDEPS) to create the Digital States Initiative. The said nationwide digital literacy and skills program training aims to equip Nigerian youth with the necessary skills to facilitate Nigeria’s transition to the digital economy.
Digital States Initiative’s Training Areas
Digital Marketing
To improve sales of digital entrepreneurs and Nigerian youth in their new or already existing businesses.
Productivity Tools
To increase the productivity of students and employees at school and work.
Content Creation
To enable the creation of content to promote online businesses, especially on social media platforms.

Digital Literacy Workshop Objectives
- Encouraging Nigerian youth with intermediate digital skills that will be needed to drive the digital economy transformation in the country.
- Empowering youth with globally required and marketable skills to increase their employment opportunities.
- Increasing the number of industry-ready IT professionals in Nigeria
How to Apply for NITDA’s Digital States Initiative program for Nigerian youth
To apply for the free introductory digital literacy workshop, fill out the application form with the necessary personal details as well as a pre-program assessment of your digital literacy level.
On the latter part of the form, interested Nigerian youth will select (2) out of the three courses offered. The choices are found below:
IT Management of Productivity Tools — “Productivity tools” refer to the software that people use to create and produce documents, databases, charts, and graphs. For many organizations and corporations, this skill set is a necessity. Skills taught include: Microsoft 365 tools, communicate online. This course is for students, employees in the workforce, and beginners in the use of digital tools.
Understanding Digital Marketing for Entrepreneurial skills — For this subject, students will learn how to build their business, creating and exploring the market, etc. The organization strongly suggests this for business owners and entrepreneurs.
Basics of Content Creation and career development — The course will discuss CV writing skills, interview preparation, how to find one’s dream job, and other related topics. It is best for Nigerian youth, students, and job seekers.
Interested in other entrepreneurial-related programs? You might want to check these out:
YALI RL West Africa Emerging Leaders Program
Nesternship Programme for Young African Graduates