Coursera, a leading digital skills training platform, recently ranked Nigeria 105th out of 109 countries in its 2024 Global Skills Proficiency report. This ranking is based on learner performance and key economic indices. Coursera measures each learner’s skill proficiency and aggregates the data to determine the country’s overall skill level.
The 2024 ranking insights are drawn from 148 million Coursera learners, of whom 2.4 million are Nigerians. In Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria ranks 12th out of 13 countries, with Somalia at the bottom, ranked 107th globally.
Skills Nigerian Learners Are Acquiring
Nigerian learners on Coursera focus on technical skills like SQL and HTML/CSS and business skills like advertising and communication. They prepare for roles in engineering and marketing, including positions like cloud security engineer, product marketing manager, and e-commerce analyst. However, only one in ten workers hold jobs requiring advanced skills. These skills are crucial to addressing Nigeria’s youth unemployment rate at 53.4%.
Coursera noted that 76% of Nigerian learners access courses via mobile devices, indicating a flexible, on-the-go learning trend.
Digital Skills Gap in Africa
The report highlights a significant digital skills gap in Sub-Saharan Africa, emphasizing the need for a skilled young workforce. With 230 million digital jobs projected by 2030, investing in accessible, job-relevant learning is essential. Increasing internet access will be critical for skills development, especially since 75% of Africa’s internet traffic comes from smartphones.
Coursera also pointed out the gender gap in online learning in the region. Only 36% of learners are women, despite women making up 50.2% of the working-age population. The report calls for education system reforms to update curricula, invest in teacher training, and increase education funding.
Addressing Nigeria’s Skill Gap
Nigeria’s Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy launched the 3 Million Technical Training programme (3MTT) in response to the skills gap. This initiative aims to equip three million Nigerians with technical skills over three years. According to Communications Minister Dr. Bosun Tijani, the program aims to build Nigeria’s technical talent backbone to power its digital economy and position Nigeria as a net talent exporter.
The training includes skills that enhance various roles through technology, such as digital marketing, project management software, cloud platform navigation, data analysis and visualization, SEO, CRM management, accounting software, graphic design, and UX/UI design.
