The programme is aimed at training 30,000 Nigerians on blockchain technology for developing career skillset in the emerging technologies.

Announcing the scheme on the Blockchain-day of “Digital Nigeria” event held on the 26^th October 2022, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, the Director General/CEO of NITDA said the scholarship will help to “accelerate blockchain adoption in Nigeria and make Nigeria a global player in the blockchain industry”. He called on Nigerians to take advantage of the scholarship to become “early solution providers in the fourth industrial revolution”.

The scheme has Domineum Blockchain Solutions as the implementing partner and BSV Blockchain Academy as the course content provider. 

Reacting to the announcement, Mr. Mohammed Jega, the co-founder of Domineum reiterated its commitment to delivering “quality education and equipping participants with the skills to build real-life blockchain solutions”.

Similarly, Calistus Igwilo, the Course Coordinator and Country CTO of Domineum said that “blockchain will power the next generation data and the courses are carefully designed to equip participants with the right skills to become professionals and help shape the future of blockchain industry.”

The program will be delivered through a hybrid mode (virtual and physical meetups) in all the states of the federation. Outstanding teams in the project phase stand the opportunity to join an incubation program in London while others will be exposed to the BSV Ecosystem where they can be involved with various projects.

The scholarship is open to every Nigerian that is willing to put in a minimum of 20 hours per week, has access to laptop or desktop, show commitment and determination; no prior programming experience is required.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has embarked on several initiatives to upskill and reskill Nigerians across all walks of life in line with the national agenda for a digital economy – the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS). The development of NITDA Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) is a strategic plan towards achieving the NDEPS.

In continuance to providing massive employment opportunities through digital skills, NITDA have kick started an ambitious project to train one million software developers in the country. Therefore, the NITDA Blockchain Scholarship (NBS) programme will enable the participants gain new skills that will help them take their ventures to the next level. As blockchain technology is still in its infancy and heralds the fourth industrial revolution, this is an opportunity for Africa to bridge the technology gap with other continents by becoming early adopters and professionals in the blockchain industry. 

How to apply

Application opens from 31^st October to 28^th November, 2022 and the course starts on 1^st December 2022. Apply while applications are ongoing.

The Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition is taking place at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, Nigeria.

 The theme for this year’s conference is Digital Transformation: A Path to Sustainable Digital Economy and was chosen to stimulate discussion on how the economy could take advantage of digital technologies to create value.

The objective is to Promote digital transformation, Digital inclusion, Emerging technologies, Data Protection, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship in Nigeria.

The “BLOCKCHAIN DAY” will focus on the scaling of the blockchain ecosystem with its opportunities and best use cases in Africa and around the globe, with the focus on Nigeria, one of the most blessed countries with talented people in the continent with over 200 million potential smart technology experts.

The Blockchain Day target to host 2,000 participants, Global Speakers, Leaders, and great Personalities in the Blockchain industry.

The conference will provide a platform for networking opportunities, co-creation and collaboration, sharing experiences, mentorship and knowledge circulation, stimulating conversation on emerging technology and incentives, and export for tech startups.

Mr. Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of NITDA, said “There are a lot of opportunities in Blockchain and it is critical in every business. Talent is the human component of technology and innovations with Blockchain and emerging technologies are about the new solutions one is bringing on board. So, you need to task yourself to know which solutions or offerings the industry requires.”

Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim Jega, co-founder Domineum said, “Blockchain is a technology that houses Cryptocurrency and many various ideas. It is important to demystify it, enable young people to take a proper grasp and expose themselves to this game-changing technology and take advantage of the numerous opportunities it presents.”

Over the past years, it has become obvious that emerging economies have come to the forefront of blockchain adoption, with Nigeria being one of the frontrunners. The “Giant of Africa,” as proudly called, is making great strides in the adoption of blockchain technological innovation. According to a survey conducted by Statista in 2020, 32% of Nigerians have admitted to using or owning cryptocurrencies. These sheer numbers involved are perfect considerations when exploring Nigeria’s affinity for taking advantage of blockchain technology.

The Conference will provide a power-packed avenue for activities such as Keynote Speaking, Panel discussions, Fireside Chat, Training Sessions, Guest Speaking, Presentations, Pitch sessions, Questions, and Answer Sessions, Exhibition and Networking, and One-on-one interactive workshop with attendees from global industry leaders.

Top speakers at the conference are Inuwa Kashifu Abdullahi (DG NITDA), Prof. Isa Pantami The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Ray Sharma – General Partner, Pacer Ventures Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim Jega – Co-Founder, Domineum, Ahmed Yousif – Lead of BSV Blockchain, Ray Youssef – Founder and CEO Paxful, Lorien Gamaroff – CEO, Centbee, James L. Sisneros – Founder & CEO, The Possibility Company, Geoffrey Weli-Wosu – Founder & CEO, Domineum Blockchain Solutions Limited Simit Naik – Director, Commercial & Strategy, nChain, Faith C. Titus – Founder/CEO, Sonergy Data Technologies, Dr. Usman Gambo Abdullahi – Director, IT Infrastructure Solutions, NITDA, Dr. Rislan A Kanya – DVC IT Research & Innovation, Baze University, and many others.

The Online Registration for the conference is ongoing; check here.