The Federal Government opened the Digital Training Academy (DTA) portal on August 17, 2026. It’s a free training program for 32,000 Nigerians. It covers fields like AI, cybersecurity, software development, cloud computing, and a bunch of other digital skills. No fee attached, not even one kobo.
The DTA is part of the government’s National Skilling Project. It’s running in partnership with Coursera. Government paid for the licences so you don’t have to. When this program was first announced back in May 2026, government said the number was 36,000. Now that the portal is live, the site shows 32,000 as the number of Nigerians to be trained. It also shows 32,000 certificates expected by the end of the program. So if you saw the 36,000 figure somewhere online, just know 32,000 is the current number on the official portal.
About this Digital Training Academy program
This is not a random online course you download and forget. It’s government sponsored. It’s set up so an ordinary Nigerian, even one without a laptop, can still take part. There are training centres in different parts of the country. Each one has internet access and learning devices. No device of your own? You can still register and use one of those centres.
Skills you can learn on the Digital Training Academy
You get to pick from more than 10 tracks. These are the ones the portal lists:
- Software development
- Cloud technologies
- Cybersecurity
- IT automation
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning
- Fintech
- Connected technologies
- Parallel computing
- Quantum computing
- Natural language processing
You pick one track that matches what you want to do, not all of them at once.
Who is eligible to apply for the Digital Training Academy program
Government kept the eligibility simple. To apply, you need to be:
- A Nigerian citizen
- 18 years old or older
- In possession of a valid National Identification Number (NIN)
- Having an active phone number to register with
Students, job seekers and people already working can all apply. There’s no restriction to only fresh graduates or only unemployed people.
You need your NIN before you start. No NIN, no registration, so sort that out first if you don’t have one yet.
How to apply for the Digital Training Academy
Registration happens fully online, on the official portal. Here’s how the process goes, step by step:
- Go to the DTA portal and create an account using your NIN and phone number.
- Fill in your personal profile.
- Add your education and work background.
- Pick the learning track you want.
- Take the pre-assessment test.
- Wait for your result and admission decision.
- Once you get access, start your training.
The official link to create your account apply is dta.education.gov.ng/learners.
What happens after you submit your Digital Training Academy application
That pre-assessment in step 5 decides a lot. One of three things happens next. You might get admitted immediately. Or you land on a waiting queue, with your queue position shown to you. Or, in fewer cases, the portal marks you as not eligible for that track this time. If you land on the waiting list, don’t panic, the handbook on the portal says you’ll get notified once a licence frees up.
Check out here for more information.
No closing date has been announced yet for this round. But slots are limited to 32,000. Applying early is the smart move. Once that number fills up, whatever is left is the waiting queue.
