The Federal Government has launched a nationwide initiative to train 10 million Nigerians in financial inclusion and literacy, with Vice President Kashim Shettima declaring that the nation’s demographic dividend can only be realized through proper skills development. Speaking at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday, Shettima officially flagged off the free training programme on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, emphasizing the strategic importance of equipping young people and women with essential financial competencies for the digital economy.
The Office of the Vice President, through the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI), signed a Memorandum of Understanding with six leading professional bodies to design training programmes, certification pathways, and digital skills initiatives. The participating organizations include the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, National Institute of Credit Administration, Chartered Risk Management Institute, and Nigeria Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Vice President Shettima described the partnership as more than a formal agreement, calling it a strategic national investment in human capacity and institutional infrastructure. He stressed that financial inclusion cannot be achieved through access alone but requires competence, trust, and capability among citizens. The initiative targets women and youth as priority beneficiaries, recognizing their critical role in driving economic transformation and sustainable wealth creation across the country.
The training programme is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s financial and enterprise workforce through essential financial skills, investment knowledge, and digital competencies. Dr. Nurudeen Abubakar Zauro, Technical Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion, explained that exclusion stems not only from lack of access but from limited skills, weak institutional capacity, and insufficient professional support. He emphasized that people and institutions must be equipped to use financial infrastructure responsibly, productively, and sustainably.
Shetima outlined that the Memorandum of Understanding establishes a working framework to harness collective expertise for capacity building, advocacy, digital transformation, and youth empowerment. The framework will support joint training programmes, policy dialogue, and professional standards that align market practices with national inclusion goals. The Vice President warned that without skilled professionals who understand enterprise formalization, risk assessment, consumer protection, and digital innovation, financial inclusion remains merely a slogan rather than a functional system.
The President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Mallam Haruna Nma Yahaya, commended the Tinubu administration for its bold economic reforms that culminated in the training programme launch. The signing ceremony marked the high point of the event, formalizing the government’s commitment to building a one-trillion-dollar economy through enhanced skills development, strengthened professional standards, and integrated professional ecosystems across Nigeria’s expanding digital landscape.
