Meta has partnered with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy to launch AI Academy Nigeria, a national programme designed to strengthen the country’s artificial intelligence talent and innovation ecosystem.
The initiative brings together Meta, the Federal Ministry, the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) and Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria (RAIN).
The programme targets developers, startups, students and early-career professionals. It will give participants access to practical AI training, technical learning and startup support. The organisers also want participants to move beyond learning AI concepts and develop functional products that can solve real-world problems.
FG says programme will strengthen Nigeria’s AI ecosystem
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, said the partnership will help equip young Nigerians with practical AI skills while creating opportunities for innovation and startup development. He said the initiative supports the government’s goal of building a stronger AI ecosystem through collaboration between the public and private sectors.
Meta’s Head of Public Policy for Anglophone West Africa, Sade Dada, said Nigeria has some of Africa’s most dynamic AI talent. She said many developers and founders need better access to practical training, funding and platforms to turn their ideas into solutions.
Programme offers three major opportunities
AI Academy Nigeria will run through three main streams:
- AI Skills Development
- Startup Pitchathon
- Developer Bootcamp
The AI Skills Development programme will give members of the 3MTT community access to courses covering topics from generative AI fundamentals to building applications with Meta’s AI models.
Participants can take courses such as Building Generative AI Apps with Llama, Prompt Engineering with Llama 2 and 3, Introducing Multimodal Llama 3.2, Generative AI in Data Analytics and Generative AI in Social Media Marketing. The programme also includes an AI 101 curriculum developed by Startupbootcamp for Meta.
Participants can access the courses through Coursera, DeepLearning.AI and DataCamp at no cost.
10 startups to pitch at GITEX Nigeria
The Startup Pitchathon will give early-stage Nigerian startups using Meta’s AI technologies an opportunity to showcase their solutions. Applications close on 21 August 2026.
Organisers will select 10 startups to pitch at GITEX Nigeria on 3 September 2026. Two winning startups will each receive $5,000 in cash funding and $2,000 in Meta advertising credits.
The winners will also receive an all-expenses-paid opportunity to represent Nigeria and pitch at the AI Summit by Meta in Istanbul, Türkiye, on 23–24 November 2026.
Top learners can earn scholarships
The AI Skills Development track will also reward high-performing participants. The top 100 performers will qualify for scholarships towards paid Meta Blueprint certifications and could receive up to $5,000 in advertising credits.
The programme therefore combines skills development, technical training, funding and international exposure. For Nigeria, the organisers hope the initiative will help more young people move from simply using artificial intelligence to building AI-powered solutions for Nigerian and global markets.
As AI continues to reshape industries, the success of programmes such as AI Academy Nigeria could help Nigeria strengthen its position in Africa’s growing digital economy.
