• €12M EU funding pledged for Nigeria’s tech talent training
• Nigeria eyes digital leap, Denmark leads global e-governance ranks

Nigeria and Denmark have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen cooperation on digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI), connectivity, and innovation.

The agreement was signed by Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, and Lina Gandløse Hansen, Denmark’s State Secretary for Trade and Investment, during the fourth annual Nordic Nigeria Connect event held in Lagos on Tuesday, Oct. 21.

“We will work together to scale broadband infrastructure, pilot smart digital governance solutions, and facilitate pathways for Nigerian tech talent to contribute to Danish companies both remotely and in person,” Tijani said in a statement posted on X on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

He added that Denmark has pledged €12 million in funding, provided through the European Union, for Nigeria’s 3MTT program, which aims to train 3 million tech talents.

Tijani described the MoU as proof of Nigeria’s drive to build partnerships and tailor global best practices to local realities.

The move comes as Nigeria works to narrow its wide digital gap. Denmark tops the United Nations’ e-Government Development Index (EGDI), ranking first among 193 countries with a score of 0.9847, far above the global average of 0.6382. Nigeria is ranked 144th with a score of 0.4815.

Denmark also ranks in Tier 1 of the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) 2024 Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), scoring a perfect 20/20 across all five assessment areas. Nigeria is classified in Tier 3, showing it must step up efforts in organization, capacity building, and cooperation.

The signing of the MoU marks progress after months of talks, but it does not yet guarantee effective cooperation. Neither side has given a timeline for a formal agreement or for implementing the deal.

Isaac K. Kassouwi