To equip one million Nigerians with Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills, tech giant Microsoft has announced a $1 million (roughly ₦1.6 billion) investment in the country’s economy over the next two years.
The statement was made during the ongoing Microsoft AI Tour in Lagos, Nigeria, by Ola Williams, the country manager for Microsoft in Nigeria and Ghana, along with Lillian Barnard, president of Microsoft Africa.
Williams claims that the investment demonstrates Microsoft’s commitment to enabling all individuals and organizations worldwide to accomplish more.
“This announcement is one of the ways that we bring this mission to life. I’m thrilled. I am so delighted to announce that, as Microsoft in Nigeria, will be investing one million dollars in the next two years to empower one million Nigerians.
“This is a significant investment in our efforts to ensure that everyone has access to the right skills that they require to really not just only use AI, but to build solutions on AI, build businesses on AI that still be a sustainable means of livelihood for Nigerians.“
Lillian Bernard, who also spoke, stated that although Microsoft has been present on the Continent for thirty years, the multinational tech behemoth has created new prospects for partners in Africa by assembling a cohesive team.
“It is such a great responsibility to come to market like Nigeria to deliver this message. This is part of Microsoft’s commitment on the Continent. As technology evolves, so are the skills.
“Most of the jobs now are AI jobs, unfortunately there are no enough people to handle these jobs. We believe this initiative is such a platform to upskill the people.”
