Hussaini Ibrahim 
LAGOS, Nigeria – Google, through its philanthropic arm Google.org, pledges N3 billion to accelerate Nigeria’s digital transformation, with a strong emphasis on Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills development and improved online safety.
The commitment was announced at a press conference in Lagos on Friday.
The funds will be channeled through five organisations known for human-capacity development: FATE Foundation, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), African Technology Forum, Junior Achievement Africa and CyberSafe Foundation.
On digital safety, Junior Achievement Africa will deepen its “Be Internet Awesome” curriculum to help school-age children and teenagers practise safer online behaviour, while CyberSafe Foundation will strengthen cybersecurity resilience among public institutions.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, welcomes the initiative. “This collaboration ensures that Nigeria’s young talents are not only trained in AI but prepared to innovate responsibly in a secure digital environment,” he says.
Google’s Director for West Africa, Olumide Balogun, emphasises that the intervention aims to build long-term capability. “We are focused on nurturing local talent and creating opportunities for Nigerians to lead in the AI-driven economy,” he says.
The programme builds on Google’s major contributions, including the Equiano subsea cable and the 2023 Skills Sprint, which trained over 20,000 Nigerians in digital and career-readiness skills.
The initiative aligns with Nigeria’s National AI Strategy and supports the government’s target of creating one million digital jobs, with AI projected to unlock about $15 billion in economic value by 2030.
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Oluwafunbi Bello 
Oluwatobi Adu 
Koko Maxwella 