Nigeria's Federal Government has opened applications for the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Delivery Network, with roughly ₦4 billion set aside for Cohort 5, Communications Minister Bosun Tijani announced in a post on his official X account.

Funding for the cohort is drawn from the European Union and Denmark, channelled through GIZ, HAUS and ESTDEV, together with a grant from the MacArthur Foundation. Describing the network as a coalition of organisations, Tijani said it is focused on “equipping Nigerians with proven skills and connecting them to real economic opportunities.”

Organisations able to offer Fellows verified opportunities — or a clear pathway to them — may apply as Funded Delivery Partners, either individually or as a consortium. According to the programme's application portal, funding applications close on November 30.

How the Money Is Paid

The funding is structured as an outcome-based arrangement rather than an upfront grant. Funded Partners agree on a rate per successful Fellow, within a regional benchmark, and payments are released in stages as the programme verifies four milestones.

The first milestone is learning commencement, which requires a confirmed identity, active participation and a baseline assessment. The second is verified skills, confirmed when the Fellow passes an agreed end-of-training assessment. The third is a secured opportunity, defined as a job, internship, freelance engagement or the Fellow's own business earning above the national minimum wage. The fourth is a sustained opportunity, verified when the Fellow remains employed or earning six months later. That final check ties the last stage of payment to opportunities that endure, rather than to training that concludes.

The portal states that training completion alone does not qualify for payment. Partners also collaborate with the programme team to select Fellows from a shortlist, based on their training offerings and the opportunities they can provide.

Who Can Apply for Cohort 5 Funding

Funded Partners must be training organisations, and the lead applicant on a funding bid must be registered and operating in Nigeria. A consortium is assessed as a whole, while employers, other training organisations and partners in Nigeria or abroad can join as members.

Applicants are expected to provide Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration, evidence of teaching experience, details of founders or directors, and a training programme completed within the last 24 months. The portal's readiness check also asks whether an organisation can train at least 100 Fellows within six months.

A second route, Enabled Delivery Partner, carries no funding. It is open to organisations and individual experts, in Nigeria or abroad, with or without a physical training space. Enabled Partners receive national recognition, a voice in shared training standards and credentials, and access to the 3MTT Talent Operating System and the National Talent Registry. They also gain demand data on the roles employers are hiring for, along with learning licences, credits and access to device financing, subject to eligibility.

Organisations not selected for funding may still join as Enabled Partners if they meet membership requirements. Membership lasts 12 months, and every member must assess at least one cohort on the platform each year.

Applying is free of charge. The portal cautions that no one can sell a place in the network and urges applicants to report any request for payment to the programme's support email.

Selected partners will be announced in December, with training for Cohort 5 beginning in January 2027. For organisations weighing an application, the checkpoints to watch are the November 30 deadline, the December announcement and the January 2027 start.

The Bigger Picture

According to the portal, the programme has trained 179,000 Fellows across four cohorts and DeepTech. More than 200 partner organisations have delivered training, and over 1.8 million Nigerians have registered on the platform — well short of the 3 million target, which the programme now places at 2030.

The government launched applications for the programme in October 2023 with the aim of training 3 million Nigerians within four years, a window that would have closed in 2027. The shift to outcome-based funding follows earlier private-sector backing. Tijani disclosed in December 2025 that the programme had received more than ₦6.45 billion in commitments from three core partners, with IHS pledging ₦2.5 billion, MTN ₦2.95 billion and Airtel ₦1 billion.

Tijani tied the latest call to the President's economic ambitions, noting that reaching a $1 trillion economy will require Nigerians with skills that businesses at home and abroad are hiring for, as well as entrepreneurs whose ventures create opportunities for others.