Zamfara State Government has sealed a strategic partnership with global tech giant Oracle to equip young people with digital skills and reposition the North-Western Nigerian state as a player in the global digital economy.

Governor Dauda Lawal signed the agreement with Oracle on April 29 at the company’s London office to drive workforce readiness and unlock inclusive economic development through the Oracle University Skills Development Initiative (SDI), according to Suleiman Idris, spokesman to the Governor.

The collaboration, being anchored by Zamfara Information and Technology Development Agency (ZITDA), is deploying Oracle’s global education platforms across validated higher institutions in the state to build a tech-savvy generation through free access to enterprise-grade learning resources and certifications.

“What we are doing today goes beyond technology—it is about giving hope, creating opportunities, and unlocking the future,” Lawal says. “By investing in digital education and innovation, we are offering real alternatives to poverty, to joblessness, and to despair.”

Zamfara Governor: Oracle deal is a transformative moment

“The collaboration signifies a commitment to education and a strategic investment in the future of Zamfara’s youth, workforce, and digital economy,” the Governor’s spokesman says in a statement seen by Technology Times.

Under the agreement, Oracle Academy, the philanthropic arm of Oracle’s education platform, is offering free access to classroom resources including software, curriculum content, and training materials to students and educators across Zamfara.

ZITDA, the state’s lead agency on ICT development, is integrating these offerings into higher education curricula to guide students toward Oracle professional certifications and boost Zamfara’s human capital in high-demand digital areas.

The partnership is also unveiling a co-branded digital learning portal under Oracle University’s SDI programme offering over 200 hours of professional training in Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Data Science and APEX development, according to the agreement.

Governor Lawal is hailing the partnership as “a transformative moment” that reflects his administration’s vision to build digital bridges that tackle poverty and unemployment among the state’s youth population.

“On behalf of the government and the good people of Zamfara State, I extend my deepest appreciation to Oracle for believing in our vision and for partnering with us on this transformative journey,” the Governor says at the signing ceremony.

“What we are doing today goes beyond technology—it is about giving hope, creating opportunities, and unlocking the future,” Lawal says. “By investing in digital education and innovation, we are offering real alternatives to poverty, to joblessness, and to despair.”

The Governor says that the Oracle agreement is also bearing long-term social and economic significance for Zamfara. “Today, we are not just signing a document; we are making a promise: A promise that every child in Zamfara will have a fair chance to dream, to learn, and to succeed.”

Technology, he notes, “will be our bridge to a stronger, more inclusive economy. And a promise that Zamfara will not merely participate in the digital revolution—we will lead it.”