By Our Reporter
Abuja (Precise Post) — The Federal Government on Monday launched a nationwide free financial inclusion and literacy training programme aimed at reaching 10 million Nigerians, with a special focus on youths and women, as part of efforts to harness the country’s demographic dividend.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who flagged off the programme at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said Nigeria could only reap the benefits of its growing population if young people and women are equipped with relevant skills and strong ethical grounding for a rapidly evolving digital economy.
According to the statement released on the X handle of the Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications (Office of The Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, the initiative is being implemented by the Office of the Vice President through the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI), chaired by the Vice President. It is designed to provide Nigerians, particularly women and youths, with essential financial literacy, investment knowledge and digital skills to promote sustainable wealth creation.
As part of the programme, the Federal Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with six professional bodies to jointly develop training curricula, certification pathways, digital skills initiatives and mentorship platforms. The bodies 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).
Speaking at the event, Shettima described the MoU as more than a formal agreement, calling it “a strategic national investment in capacity as infrastructure, the human, institutional and ethical foundations upon which inclusive growth must rest.”
He noted that the Aso Accord on Economic and Financial Inclusion, which PreCEFI is mandated to implement, recognises that financial inclusion goes beyond access to include competence, trust and capability.
“Nigeria cannot build a one-trillion-dollar economy on weak skills, fragmented standards or disconnected professional ecosystems,” the Vice President said. “This framework harnesses the collective expertise of these professional bodies to advance inclusion through capacity building, digital transformation, youth empowerment and support for small and medium practitioners.”
Shettima stressed that without skilled professionals—ranging from accountants and bankers to risk managers and innovators—financial inclusion would remain “a slogan rather than a system.” He therefore urged PreCEFI and its partners to treat the MoU as a living platform for execution rather than a ceremonial document.
“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,” he declared.
Earlier, ICAN President, Mallam Haruna Nma Yahaya, commended the Tinubu administration for its economic reforms, which he said had created the conditions for the launch of the programme. He pledged the institute’s full professional support, describing ICAN’s participation as an institutional honour.
Also speaking, Chief Executive Officer of WAWU Africa, the programme’s technical partner, Mr Emmanuel Lennox, assured of the company’s readiness to deliver the required digital platform and enabling environment for the training.
In his remarks, the Technical Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion, Dr Nurudeen Abubakar Zauro, said exclusion was often driven not just by lack of access, but by limited skills and weak institutional capacity.
“Financial inclusion is achieved when people and institutions are equipped to use infrastructure responsibly, productively and sustainably,” he said.
The highlight of the event was the formal signing of the MoU between the Federal Government and the six professional bodies, marking the official commencement of the nationwide capacity-building programme.
