Meta has launched AI Academy Nigeria, a new training initiative delivered in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE), its 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), and Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Nigeria (RAIN).

The programme is designed to give Nigerian developers, startups, students and early-career professionals access to practical AI training, technical development opportunities and dedicated support for startups.

AI Academy Nigeria will operate through three streams: AI Skills Development, a Startup Pitchathon and a Developer Bootcamp.

Three tracks, one AI talent pipeline

The AI Skills Development track is open to the 3MTT community and offers free courses covering generative AI fundamentals and the development of applications built on Meta's AI models, the Llama family of large language models that the company has openly released since 2023 for developers and businesses to build on. Delivered through Coursera, DeepLearning.AI and DataCamp, the courses include Building Generative AI Apps with Llama, Prompt Engineering with Llama 2 & 3, and Generative AI in Social Media Marketing. The top 100 performers will be eligible for scholarships towards paid Meta Blueprint certifications and up to $5,000 in advertising credits.

The Startup Pitchathon will give early-stage Nigerian startups building with Meta's AI technologies an opportunity to pitch their solutions. Applications close on 21 August, after which 10 startups will be shortlisted to pitch at GITEX Nigeria on 3 September. Two winners will each receive $5,000 in cash funding and $2,000 in Meta advertising credits, along with an all-expenses-paid trip to Istanbul, Türkiye, to pitch at Meta's AI Summit on 23–24 November.

The Developer Bootcamp is a six-week programme delivered by RAIN for a selected cohort. It will focus on hands-on AI development, technical guidance and access to Meta's network of AI experts.

The academy lands in one of Africa's largest tech markets. Nigeria is the continent's most populous country, and Lagos has grown into one of its leading startup hubs, attracting global technology companies that have expanded developer-training programmes across the region in recent years — Google, for instance, has run multi-year Africa Developer Scholarship cohorts. Meta's curriculum ties the training directly to its own technology, centring the courses on Llama and rewarding builders with Meta advertising credits and certifications.

What the AI academy organisers are saying

Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, said the partnership would equip developers, entrepreneurs and young professionals with practical AI skills while creating pathways for startups to compete globally.

Sade Dada, Head of Public Policy for Anglophone West Africa at Meta, said Nigeria was home to some of Africa's most dynamic AI talent, but that founders and developers needed greater access to practical training, funding and platforms to build impactful solutions.

Dr Olushola Ayoola, founder and CEO of RAIN, said building Nigeria's AI capacity required a coordinated effort, adding that RAIN was proud to partner with Meta, FMCIDE and 3MTT on the programme.

The partnership supports 3MTT's broader mandate to build Nigeria's technical talent pipeline while connecting skills development with entrepreneurship and digital economy opportunities. The programme, introduced by the ministry in 2023, targets three million technical talents and sits alongside other federal efforts to grow the digital economy, including ongoing work on a national AI strategy. Applications for the Startup Pitchathon remain open until 21 August.

Source: TechNext24