Nigeria is emerging as a powerhouse in digital skills development, driven by its youthful population, high mobile connectivity, and growing appetite for career-aligned credentials.
According to Coursera’s 2025 Global Skills Report, the country has the potential to become a leader in the global tech economy, particularly in critical areas such as cybersecurity, software development, and generative AI (GenAI).
The report notes that 70% of Nigeria’s population is under the age of 35, positioning the country to meet rising demand for digital capabilities.
Network and cybersecurity expertise alone is expected to grow by 87% in Nigeria by 2030, reflecting the urgency to upskill the workforce for the future.
According to the report, enrollments in GenAI courses in Nigeria rose 98% year-over-year, while Professional Certificate enrollments increased by 22%, signaling a growing demand for practical, job-ready credentials.
The spike mirrors global trends, where GenAI has become the fastest-growing skill category on Coursera’s platform, with over 8 million enrollments and nearly 700 GenAI courses now averaging 12 new learners per minute.
“Generative AI has rapidly gained both investment and adoption across sectors. In the past year, GenAI enrollment has more than doubled across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa,” said Coursera’s new CEO, Greg Hart.
“What’s most inspiring is how online learning is creating a level playing field for millions of learners across emerging markets,” he added.
Coursera disclosed that mobile learning is playing a particularly vital role in Nigeria’s digital transformation.
Coursera also revealed that Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) as a whole is also witnessing a digital learning boom.
The region now has over 8 million Coursera learners, a 20% increase from the previous year—the fastest growth globally.
Notably, 65% of learners in the region study via mobile, and countries like Botswana are leading efforts toward gender parity, with women making up half of digital learners.
In South Africa, where 93% of organizations reportedly run active AI programs, a robust digital infrastructure is accelerating AI and network-based learning. The region has also seen a 134% jump in GenAI enrollments year-over-year, underlining its embrace of emerging technologies despite lingering challenges such as a gender gap in advanced tech fields.