Digital Skills Training Controversy: Nigeria’s Education Ministry Moves to Seize Control From Contracted Consortium

The Federal Ministry of Education is facing controversy for breaking its agreement with tech groups chosen to provide digital training skills to Nigerian youths.

This alleged breach of contract, inside sources say, can have significant implications for the country’s efforts to enhance digital literacy and skills development among its young population.

However, the controversy isn’t just about the breach of contract alone. Top officials of the Ministry have also been accused of hijacking the budget of the tech consortium.

The Nigerian government, in partnership with the World Bank, is funding the Innovative Development and Effectiveness in Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS) project to enhance the country’s digital skills landscape under its Digital Skills Development Plan (DSDP).

To implement the project, the Ministry enlisted several private tech firms across each geopolitical zone to train between 500 – 1,000 youth nationwide in digital skills.

According to documents reviewed by West Africa Weekly, the Ministry recently directed the consortium to use the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN) as the certifying body for the training.

A letter from the Ministry stated that certification must come from “recognised certifying bodies” like CPN, in line with the National Skills Qualifications framework.

The letter partly reads:

For the skills development sector to be effective, efficient with quality certifications, there is the need to have recognised certificates issued to these trainees. The certificates should be issued by locally recognised certifying bodies in line with the National Skills Qualifications (NSQs) or globally recognised bodies.

NBTE (National Board for Technical Education) has granted the recognition to the Computer Professionals (Registration Council of Nigeria) CPN, as the Awarding Body for the ICT Sector and therefore wishes to recommend them for the certification of the digital skills areas identified by the grantees receiving grants under the IDEAS Project.

It also added that the “NBTE has further negotiated with CPN to reduce the certification cost drastically”.

Although the consortium reportedly accepted this directive, the Ministry subsequently recommended that the training be handed over to CPN.

In a meeting with the consortium, the Project Consultant, Prof. Ndem Ayara, said, “CPN will not only train and certify, but we will also urge them to absolve all your trainees into their professional bodies so that they can become members of the bodies.”

According to a source within the consortium who pleaded anonymity, this recommendation effectively sidelines the group from its core duties.

“We are a training organisation with qualified trainers and proven success. They (the Ministry) saw something in us that made them shortlist us to do the training. So, why are they now bringing another organisation to do the training,” she told West Africa Weekly.

The source further alleged that CPN will conduct the training sessions at the consortium’s facilities without compensation. “They are just coming to train, certify, collect money and go,” she said.

“We asked questions, but there was no reason for the decision. They (the Ministry) only said if we do not want to allow the CPN to train, it is not compulsory, but any other action taken would be at our own risk,” she added.

She also accused the Ministry of overstepping its bounds by attempting to control the consortium’s finances. Prof. Ayara told the consortium, “Do not spend your money; if you withdraw your money and start spending carelessly, we will have a problem.” He directed the Innovation Grant Manager (IGM) to issue a query to any consortium that spends without his clearance to “protect himself.”

Despite the initial approval of the consortium’s budget, the Ministry has reportedly mandated that each consortium member return their project funds to their project accounts. Spending now requires prior clearance from the project manager, which the insider described as an attempt to dictate the budget.

Attempts to clarify or amend the contract have reportedly been dismissed by the Ministry, which maintains that the original terms remain unchanged and that the approved budget is merely an appendix subject to adjustment.

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