The world is changing fast—and at the center of that change is artificial intelligence (AI). But for millions of young Nigerians, especially those outside the traditional tech hubs, the opportunity to work in AI has always felt distant. That’s exactly what the new partnership between Nigeria’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program and Google.org is set to change.
This isn’t just a training initiative. It’s a strategic push to unlock deep technology skills in a country brimming with raw talent but lacking access. And if you’re wondering whether this will actually make a difference, the early signs point to a resounding yes.
What’s happening now under the DeepTech track is more than just another skills bootcamp—it’s a bold, focused, and deeply aligned effort to insert Nigerian youth directly into the AI revolution.
Understanding the DeepTech Track
What Exactly Is the DeepTech Track?
The DeepTech track is a focused, high-level pathway within Nigeria’s broader 3MTT initiative. It zeroes in on advanced technology fields like artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, and neural networks. Participants don’t just learn code—they build and deploy real-world AI models and applications that solve local problems.
It’s not just theoretical. The curriculum blends technical mastery with problem-solving and entrepreneurship. Learners are expected to complete capstone projects, contribute to open-source repositories, and pitch AI-based solutions that could become tomorrow’s startups.
Why AI, and Why Now?
AI is no longer optional. From finance to health care to agriculture, the world’s most important decisions are being informed—or even made—by algorithms. For Nigeria to remain competitive, it needs people who can build and manage these systems from within. That’s where the DeepTech track comes in.
It gives Nigerian youth a chance to participate in, and shape, the AI revolution—not just consume its products.
Who Is It For?
This track targets Nigerians who already have a foundational understanding of tech. Think of people who have basic programming knowledge or have completed earlier stages of the 3MTT curriculum. It’s not beginner-level. It’s for people ready to specialize, go deep, and start solving complex problems using AI.
The 3MTT-Google DeepTech Track Partnership
How the Collaboration Works
Google.org—the philanthropic arm of Google—partnered with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy to fund and scale the DeepTech track. This is not a passive grant. Google is actively involved in designing the curriculum, providing expert trainers, and leveraging its deep resources in AI development.
Through this partnership, participants get access to global-level training standards without leaving Nigeria. They’re taught using frameworks that power tools like TensorFlow, and they’re exposed to ethical AI development, scalable architecture, and real-time deployment.
Google.org’s Role
Google.org contributed both funding and expertise. The goal was not just to train a few thousand people but to seed a robust AI ecosystem in Nigeria. Their support goes beyond logistics—they’re helping mentor startups, offering cloud credits, and providing early access to AI toolkits.
The partnership also opens the door to broader Google initiatives like the Google AI Impact Challenge and accelerator programs, giving Nigerian participants a chance to plug directly into the global innovation pipeline.
The Ministry’s Role
The Federal Ministry, under the leadership of Dr. Bosun Tijani, provided the structure and vision for the initiative. They ensured the program aligned with national goals, selected implementation partners, and oversaw the quality assurance framework. This isn’t just another pilot project—it’s part of Nigeria’s national strategy to build sovereign tech capacity.
Why This Partnership Matters
By joining forces, Google.org and 3MTT are addressing a critical skills gap while setting a benchmark for how public-private partnerships can drive deep tech development. It’s not just about digital literacy—it’s about deep literacy. About enabling Nigerians to create, not just consume, AI technologies.
What Participants Are Learning
Advanced AI and ML Curriculum
The DeepTech track isn’t about surface-level skills. Participants dive into machine learning algorithms, natural language processing, computer vision, and neural networks. They learn to train, fine-tune, and deploy models using tools like TensorFlow, PyTorch, and Scikit-learn.
They also work on practical projects—from building image classifiers to developing chatbots that respond in Nigerian languages. This is hands-on learning rooted in real challenges.
Capstone Projects with Real-World Applications
Each participant or team is required to build a capstone project. This is where theory meets practice. Whether it’s a voice assistant that understands Yoruba or a disease prediction model for cassava farms, these projects are expected to solve real Nigerian problems with AI.
The best part? These aren’t just classroom assignments. Many of them go on to be incubated into real startups, supported by local innovation hubs.
Soft Skills and Entrepreneurial Training
Technical skill alone isn’t enough. That’s why the track also includes modules on communication, design thinking, project management, and pitching. Participants are trained to not just build, but explain and sell their solutions.
Ethics and Responsible AI
AI can do harm if used carelessly. That’s why ethical AI is baked into the curriculum. Students learn about bias in algorithms, data privacy, model accountability, and how to build inclusive systems that serve rather than marginalize their users.
Selection Process and Participant Demographics
How Participants Are Chosen
Selection into the DeepTech track is highly competitive. It’s not an open-for-all system. Applicants must have demonstrated technical competency in prior 3MTT stages or relevant experience in computer science or engineering. A screening process involving coding tests, motivation essays, and past project evaluations is used to filter for aptitude and commitment.
Each cohort is handpicked to ensure that participants are not just learners but potential future contributors to the AI ecosystem. The goal isn’t to train the largest number possible—it’s to build a core of deeply skilled AI talent.
Diverse and Inclusive Talent Pool
What makes the DeepTech track stand out is how intentionally inclusive it is. Women, people from underserved states, and those from non-traditional educational backgrounds are strongly encouraged—and supported—to participate. There’s also geographic spread, with learners coming from all six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
This isn’t a Lagos-only story. It’s an Owerri, Kano, Uyo, Ilorin, and Makurdi story. A story about opportunity finding people wherever they are.
Real Stories, Real Impact
Take Hadiza from Kaduna, who used her DeepTech training to build a voice-to-text app in Hausa. Or Tolu from Ogun State, who created a cassava disease detector using convolutional neural networks. These aren’t future dreams—they are happening now. In classrooms, on laptops, and soon, in the market.
Implementation and Infrastructure
Training Centers and Remote Access
The DeepTech track is delivered through a mix of in-person sessions and online modules. Physical training centers are spread across Nigeria and are equipped with stable internet, modern computers, and access to cloud computing tools. For those in remote areas, training is accessible through a hybrid model, ensuring nobody is left behind due to geography.
Each center is supported by technical facilitators and local mentors, creating an ecosystem of guidance that stretches beyond just coursework. Peer collaboration is a strong component, and regular hackathons help keep the training competitive and practical.
Curriculum Development Partners
Aside from Google.org, the curriculum has been shaped by Nigerian AI experts, professors from leading universities, and engineers from the Nigerian tech diaspora. It is localized, current, and built to global standards without losing cultural relevance.
Monitoring, Feedback, and Iteration
The program includes rigorous feedback loops. Learner progress is tracked, instructors are evaluated by their students, and modules are updated in real-time based on what’s working. It’s agile, adaptive, and responsive.
Strategic Value for Nigeria’s Digital Economy Vision
The 3MTT-Google DeepTech track isn’t a one-off training event—it’s a calculated move that aligns tightly with Nigeria’s broader ambitions for a digital-first economy. Understanding this alignment is key to appreciating why the initiative matters beyond individual success stories. It plays a systemic role in shaping national competitiveness, employment, innovation, and technological sovereignty.
Anchoring to the Federal Government’s 3MTT Initiative
The DeepTech track sits under the larger umbrella of the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) initiative, which is a flagship program of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy led by Dr. Bosun Tijani.
The 3MTT program is built around five key goals:
- Equip 3 million Nigerians with technical skills by 2027.
- Create a strong domestic talent pipeline for the digital economy.
- Reduce unemployment by absorbing trained individuals into both local and international tech ecosystems.
- Support startup creation and scalability.
- Position Nigeria as a net exporter of digital talent—not just a consumer of technology.
The DeepTech track directly supports all five goals, especially the push for high-value skills like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning that are projected to define the next era of digital transformation globally.
Contributing to Nigeria’s National AI Strategy
In November 2023, Nigeria launched its National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, one of the first in Sub-Saharan Africa. It outlined seven strategic pillars, including:
- Research and development
- Responsible AI and ethics
- Skills and education
- Infrastructure and compute resources
- Public-private partnerships
The DeepTech track touches three of these directly:
- Skills and education through hands-on, project-based AI training.
- Public-private partnerships via the collaboration between 3MTT and Google.org.
- Responsible AI by embedding ethical AI development modules into the core curriculum.
This alignment ensures that the program is not only producing job-ready graduates but also actively reinforcing Nigeria’s policy framework for AI development.
Stimulating AI Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Another national priority is the growth of Nigeria’s startup ecosystem, particularly in sectors like health, agriculture, finance, and education. By feeding trained AI talent into these verticals, the DeepTech track helps stimulate homegrown innovation that:
- Solves local problems using data and AI (e.g., climate-resilient agriculture, maternal health tools).
- Fuels tech startup formation, with many participants going on to launch their own AI-based products and services.
- Enhances digital service delivery in government (e.g., smart ID systems, predictive analytics for public health).
Strengthening Nigeria’s Global Position in Tech
With over 200 million people, Nigeria has both the population and economic potential to become a global tech powerhouse—but that requires building capacity in frontier technologies like AI. The DeepTech track is a direct response to that challenge.
By producing certified, world-class AI professionals and entrepreneurs, Nigeria can:
- Attract foreign investment in AI development and research.
- Become a preferred outsourcing destination for global firms seeking deep tech expertise.
- Participate meaningfully in international AI collaborations, standards-setting, and ethical AI governance.
Reducing Brain Drain Through Local Opportunities
Perhaps most importantly, the DeepTech track helps stem the tide of brain drain by proving that world-class AI careers are possible from within Nigeria. When local talent sees viable paths to success without needing to emigrate, the ecosystem retains its brightest minds—and that creates a virtuous cycle of mentorship, job creation, and innovation.
A Bold Step for Nigeria, A Model for Africa
When you step back and look at the full picture, the 3MTT-Google DeepTech track isn’t just a local training effort—it’s a strategic signal. It tells the world that Nigeria is done waiting for the future to happen. It’s building that future, proactively, through investment in people, technology, and inclusive innovation.
In a country where over 60% of the population is under 25, and where unemployment still shadows millions of talented young people, the DeepTech track delivers something rare: a credible, structured, and empowering path into high-impact careers. And not just any careers—careers in AI, machine learning, and deep tech that are reshaping the global economy.
It also proves a point many doubted for years: that elite technical training doesn’t have to be restricted to tech bros in Lagos, or graduates of Ivy League universities. With the right partnerships, inclusive design, and policy alignment, deep tech skills can reach Bauchi, Yenagoa, Ilorin, and every other corner of Nigeria.
But the impact doesn’t stop at Nigeria’s borders.
Across Africa, governments, tech hubs, and education reformers are watching closely. The DeepTech track is already being cited as a model for national AI capacity-building that’s homegrown, scalable, and equitable. It’s not just a program—it’s a blueprint.
And there’s still more ahead.
With each new cohort, each successful capstone project, and each new job placement, the ripple effects of the DeepTech track will expand. As Nigeria moves towards its goal of training 3 million technical talents by 2027, this partnership with Google.org sets a gold standard for how government, private sector, and civil society can work together to deliver something truly transformational.
So, if you’ve been waiting for a signal that Africa is ready to lead in AI, this is it.
And if you’re a young Nigerian wondering whether there’s a place for you in that future—the answer is simple: yes, there is. And it starts here.
