The Presidency has officially opened registration for the Federal Government’s free nationwide training programme aimed at equipping 10 million Nigerians with financial inclusion and literacy skills.
The registration process is being handled by WAWUAfrica, described as Africa’s leading integrated leadership and organizational excellence platform focused on empowering women.
The registration exercise was inaugurated by Vice President Kashim Shettima during a virtual meeting involving the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI), six professional bodies, and key development partners such as the World Bank, WAWUAfrica, African Union (AU), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), among others.
Represented at the event by the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, Dr. Tope Kolade Fasua, the Vice President expressed optimism about the initiative. He noted that the programme, a flagship effort of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is expected to significantly impact Nigerians and potentially evolve into a global model originating from the country.
He said, “The flag-off ceremony for the upskilling initiative will become one of the flagship programmes of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in terms of his impact on the Nigerian people and how this can transmogrify into a global impact coming from Nigeria.
“I commend the widely focused areas of the potential impact to cover digital literacy and information technology, IT literacy, financial literacy, economic literacy, service delivery literacy, healthcare and wellness, creative arts and design, business and entrepreneurship skills, skills trade and engineering skills, hospitality and tourism skills.”
Shettima also praised WAWUAfrica, the World Bank, Alison Women Entrepreneurship, African Union (AU), ECOWAS, NITDA, EU, and other development partners for their collaborative efforts in bringing the programme to fruition.
“We believe that this programme will continue to expand in terms of partnership and collaboration until we achieve the maximum utility and mileage required,” he added.
Speaking further, the Technical Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion in the Office of the Vice President, Dr. Nurudeen Zauro, revealed that ongoing engagements with stakeholders are focused on ensuring Nigerians are properly informed and encouraged to participate in the training.
He stressed the importance of clear guidance to prevent exploitation, particularly regarding payment demands and access to the registration portal.
“The essence here is so that Nigerians can be well guided. First of all, this training is free of charge. We don’t want to have a situation whereby anybody would be requested to make any form of payment, and also to be well guided where you’re going to log in to have your details input onto the system for you to successfully get trained,” Dr Zauro said.
Goodwill messages were also delivered by the participating professional bodies and development partners, who reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring that the financial literacy skills acquired through the programme are practical and impactful. They also emphasized the importance of maintaining a registration system grounded in trust, transparency, and accountability.
It will be recalled that in February 2026, the Office of the Vice President, through PreCEFI, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with six professional bodies. The agreement aims to jointly develop training curricula, certification pathways, digital skills programmes, and mentorship platforms to strengthen Nigeria’s financial and entrepreneurial workforce.
The initiative is designed to equip Nigerians—particularly women and youths—with essential financial management skills, investment knowledge, and digital capabilities necessary for sustainable wealth creation.
The professional bodies involved include the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), National Institute of Credit Administration (NICA), Chartered Risk Management Institute (CRMI), and the Nigeria Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NIIE).
