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The Nigerian government has launched a free nationwide programme to train 10 million Nigerians in financial inclusion and literacy, with a focus on women and young people.
The Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI) of the Office of the Vice President is carrying out the Monday-announced initiative.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, acting on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, officially launched it at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
As part of the programme, the government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with six professional bodies to jointly design training programmes, certification pathways, digital skills initiatives and mentorship platforms.
The bodies include the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), the National Institute of Credit Administration (NICA), the Chartered Risk Management Institute (CRMI), and the Nigeria Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NIIE).
Speaking at the event, Shettima said Nigeria’s ability to benefit from its demographic dividend depended on equipping youths and women with relevant skills and ethical grounding for a rapidly evolving digital economy.
Shettima described the MoU as a “strategic national investment in capacity as infrastructure, which is the human, institutional, and ethical foundations upon which inclusive growth must rest.”
He noted that PreCEFI, which he chairs, is mandated to implement the Aso Accord on Economic and Financial Inclusion.
According to him, the accord recognises that “financial inclusion is not achieved by access alone, but by competence, trust, and capability.”
The Vice President said the nation “cannot build a one-trillion-dollar economy on weak skills, fragmented standards, or disconnected professional ecosystems.”
“This MoU therefore establishes a working framework to harness the collective expertise of ICAN, CIBN, CIS, CRMI, NICA, and NIIE to advance inclusion through capacity building, advocacy, digital transformation, youth empowerment, and support for small and medium practitioners,” he explained.
“It establishes a structured mechanism for joint training programmes, policy dialogue, digital skills development, and professional standards that align market practice with national inclusion goals.”
Financial inclusion is capacity building, but “without accountants who understand MSME formalisation, credit administrators who can assess risk beyond collateral, bankers who embed consumer protection, risk professionals who anticipate digital threats, and innovators who translate ideas into enterprises, inclusion remains a slogan rather than a system,” Shettima noted.
He added that “Importantly, this collaboration prioritises women and youth inclusion and digital transformation, recognising that Nigeria’s demographic dividend will only materialise if young people are equipped with relevant skills and ethical grounding for a fast-evolving digital economy.”
The VP then urged the PreCEFI and the professional associations to view the Memorandum of Understanding as a living platform for execution rather than just a document and formally declared the programme open.
“Accordingly, on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, I hereby flag off the free training of 10 million Nigerians with priority for women and youth across the country,” he declared.
