In the past five years, technological advancements have surged at an unprecedented rate, significantly impacting the skills gap across various sectors. Technologies such as the Metaverse and Artificial Intelligence are at the forefront of this evolution. According to the World Bank’s 2019-2030 forecast, Nigeria’s labour force will require approximately 28 million workers trained in digital skills across multiple sectors, with a cumulative demand for digital skills training opportunities expected to reach 57.1 million.
Latinwo Olugbenga, Co-founder and Chief Operations/Digital Project Officer at Steamledge Limited, is leading a transformative initiative to bridge this gap. Under his leadership, the Steamledge Technology Acceleration Program has been molding the minds of young learners since its launch in 2017. The program has provided early and affordable access to essential technology skills—such as robotics, coding, creative arts, AI, and game development—to over 80,000 young learners and 1,500 educators in grades 4 to 12 across Nigeria’s public and private schools.
As a STEM enthusiast dedicated to creating affordable access to in-demand technology skills, Olugbenga co-founded Steamledge Limited in response to his own experience with employment barriers, notably the lack of industry-relevant technology skills among Nigeria’s 600,000 annual graduates.
Olugbenga believes in the people-first approach to implementing digital transformation initiatives. Through Steampal, the company’s career mentorship and internship program, young graduates gain hands-on skills acquisition, Internship and mentorship opportunities working alongside Steamledge’s subject matter experts on live projects. This has improved the employability of 375 participants yearly.
Recognizing the importance of collaboration and partnerships, Olugbenga is working to enhance Nigeria’s talent pipeline and graduate employability. He has spearheaded project partnerships such as the UNDP-Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Program, which aims to place 20,000 talents, and the NITDA-Digital Economy Employability Program, which seeks to train 3 million technology talents.
Olugbenga is committed to driving more industry-academic partnerships that offer inclusive opportunities, foster innovation, and facilitate knowledge transfer, all crucial for developing a skilled workforce in the face of rapidly evolving technology.
For more information about Latinwo Olugbenga, visit his LinkedIn profile or explore his initiatives and programs at Steamledge Limited.
