he MTN Foundation has trained more than 2,000 young Nigerians in digital and business skills under its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Skills and Training Programme.
Speaking on the initiative in a statement, the Executive Director of the MTN Foundation, Mrs Odunayo Sanya, said the programme was designed to equip young entrepreneurs with practical digital skills tailored to their business needs.
She said small businesses remained the backbone of the Nigerian economy and that supporting young entrepreneurs with simple, affordable digital tools could significantly improve productivity and drive long-term growth.
According to Sanya, the training, now in its seventh cohort, focuses on helping Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) adopt digital tools to enhance productivity and sustainability. She noted that SMEs account for over 90 per cent of businesses in Nigeria and employ a large proportion of the workforce, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The foundation said the programme followed a call for applications in September 2025, which attracted more than 5,000 entries from Nigerians aged between 18 and 35 years.
Sanya explained that successful applicants are currently participating in a five-week virtual training programme scheduled to end in February 2026. The training began with a general onboarding session across four business tracks and is focused on practical digital growth for small businesses.
Participants were drawn from sectors including food services, fashion, retail, logistics, beauty and printing, she said, adding that the training emphasises the use of affordable digital tools suitable for small and early-stage enterprises.
The programme also promotes gradual digital transformation, encouraging participants to digitise basic operations before scaling up over time.
The sessions are facilitated by a Business Analyst and Digital Transformation Expert, Mr Babajide Jolaolu-Kehinde, who highlighted the benefits of automating repetitive tasks to save time, reduce errors and improve efficiency.
He introduced participants to tools such as WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business for customer engagement, as well as MTN’s MoMo API for digital payments. Through case studies, he demonstrated how digital tools could help small businesses expand their customer base and increase sales.
The foundation added that participants would continue to have access to learning materials and recorded sessions throughout the duration of the programme.
