The Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with six professional bodies to implement a free nationwide training programme on financial inclusion and literacy for 10 million Nigerians.
The initiative, which was flagged off on Monday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, is being coordinated by the Office of the Vice President through the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI).
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who performed the flag-off on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said Nigeria could only harness its demographic dividend if young people and women were equipped with relevant skills and ethical grounding for a rapidly evolving digital economy.
He described the MoU as a strategic national investment in human and institutional capacity, noting that financial inclusion goes beyond access to include competence, trust and capability.
According to him, the agreement provides a framework for joint training programmes, certification pathways, digital skills development, mentorship platforms and policy dialogue aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s financial and enterprise workforce.
The professional bodies involved are 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).
Shettima said the collaboration would prioritise women and youths, stressing that financial inclusion would remain ineffective without skilled accountants, bankers, credit administrators, risk professionals and innovators capable of supporting micro, small and medium enterprises.
“On behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I hereby flag off the free training of 10 million Nigerians with priority for women and youth across the country,” he declared.
Earlier, the President of ICAN, Mallam Haruna Nma Yahaya, commended the Federal Government’s economic reforms, describing the training programme as timely and necessary.
He assured the Vice President of the institute’s full professional support, adding that participation in the initiative was an institutional honour.
Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of WAWU Africa, the programme’s technical partner, Mr Emmanuel Lennox, pledged the organisation’s readiness to provide the required digital platform and enabling environment for the successful execution of the project.
In his remarks, the Technical Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion, Dr Nurudeen Abubakar Zauro, said financial exclusion was driven not only by lack of access but also by limited skills and weak institutional capacity.
The event featured the formal signing of the MoU between the Federal Government and the six professional bodies, marking the commencement of the capacity-building programme nationwide.
