Federal Government on Monday launched a nationwide free training programme targeting 10 million Nigerians, with a focus on women and youths, to boost financial inclusion and literacy. Vice President Kashim Shettima, who flagged off the initiative on behalf of President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with six top professional bodies through the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI), which he chairs. The partners include 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 Nigeria Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NIIE). The programme aims to deliver training in financial skills, investment knowledge, digital competencies, certification pathways, and mentorship to drive sustainable wealth creation and strengthen Nigeria’s financial workforce.
According to a statement issued by his media aide, Stanley Nkwocha, speaking at the event, Shettima described the MoU as “a strategic national investment in capacity as infrastructure which is the human, institutional, and ethical foundations upon which inclusive growth must rest.” He stressed the Aso Accord on Economic and Financial Inclusion, noting it recognizes that “financial inclusion is not achieved by access alone, but by competence, trust, and capability.” The VP warned, “we cannot build a one-trillion-dollar economy on weak skills, fragmented standards, or disconnected professional ecosystems.”
Shettima detailed the MoU’s scope: “This MoU therefore establishes a working framework to harness the collective expertise of ICAN, CIBN, CIS, CRMI, NICA, and NIIE to advance inclusion through capacity building, advocacy, digital transformation, youth empowerment, and support for small and medium practitioners. It establishes a structured mechanism for joint training programmes, policy dialogue, digital skills development, and professional standards that align market practice with national inclusion goals.” Shettima charged PreCEFI and the bodies to treat the MoU as “a living platform for execution,” declaring: “Accordingly, on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, I hereby flag off the free training of 10 million Nigerians with priority for women and youth across the country.”
ICAN President Mallam Haruna Nma Yahaya praised the Tinubu administration’s reforms, saying they prompted the project amid visible economic gains. He assured professional support, calling involvement “an institutional honour.”
WAWU Africa CEO Emmanuel Lennox, a technical partner, pledged delivery of the digital platform and enabling environment.
Technical Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion, Dr. Nurudeen Abubakar Zauro, explained the need: “Exclusion is not only by lack of access, but by limited skills, weak institutional capacity, and insufficient professional support. Consequently, financial inclusion is not achieved by infrastructure alone; it is achieved when people and institutions are equipped to use that infrastructure responsibly, productively, and sustainably.”
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