Co-creation HUB (CcHUB), Nigeria’s first innovation centre and technology hub, has begun accepting registrations for GATEWAY, a five-year initiative designed to train 340,000 young Nigerians in digital skills and connect them to gig work opportunities.
The programme combines training with physical access points (hubs) and access to devices like laptops and internet connections. GATEWAY is structured to address what CcHUB describes as an opportunity gap, where gig economy growth exists alongside a high unemployment rate in Nigeria.
“With GATEWAY, we are building a pipeline that allows young Nigerians to earn from businesses down the road and clients halfway across the world,” said Ojoma Ochai, Managing Director of CcHUB.
The online gig economy, which comprises short-term work mediated by digital platforms, accounts for 4.4% to 12.5% of the global labour force, according to the World Bank. Across Africa, countries like Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa account for an estimated 17.5 million online gig workers, driven largely by young populations and high unemployment rates. Still, many lack access to the tools and infrastructure needed to participate in the gig economy effectively.
“If you put that side by side, you realise that the problems also present an opportunity for us to leverage the gig economy,” Timothy Aluko, Program Lead, Nigeria GATEWAY Program at CCHub, said. GATEWAY is CcHUB’s attempt to close that gap.
The GATEWAY training will be focused on four digital skills: digital marketing, graphic design, UI/UX design, and video production and editing. According to Aluko, these tracks were selected based on demand trends observed across gig platforms.
“We did our research to say what creative digital skills are in top demand, and these four skill sets came up on top. That informed the reason why we’re going with this,” he said.
Before being accepted into the programme, participants are required to go through an assessment process that tests their basic digital literacy and skill level for those who already have experience. Once participants clear this stage, they are split into two pathways that reflect the programme’s assumption that not everyone starts from the same place.
The first is the growth pathway, designed for participants who already possess one of the four target skills. For this group, the programme focuses on how to apply their skills to gig work, including training on how to navigate those platforms, write proposals, and manage income through a financial and business management training module. Participants who do not pass the skills assessment join the foundation track, where they will first acquire the core digital skills before transitioning into the growth track.
The duration of GATEWAY varies depending on the skills pathway encountered by the participants. Although the programme is intended to be self-paced, participants in the foundation track are expected to spend between three and six months, while those in the growth pathway may complete their training in six weeks to two months.
GATEWAY will be rolled out across 10 Nigerian states: Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Kano, Kaduna, Abuja, Delta, Edo, Rivers, and Enugu. CcHUB intends to partner with two hubs in each state to serve as a physical access point for participants who do not have access to infrastructure for the training. In these hubs, participants can use available laptops and internet services to take their lessons.
GATEWAY emphasises output over certification, according to Aluko, requiring participants to build a portfolio of work that can be used to secure jobs on gig platforms.
After the training, participants will remain part of an online community that will serve as a support system. Here, participants are grouped into peer learning communities based on their location and track, creating smaller support systems within the larger programme.
GATEWAY reserves 80% of its opportunities for women, persons with disabilities, and displaced youth, reflecting CcHUB’s broader goal of ensuring that groups who are often excluded from digital opportunities can participate in and benefit from the gig economy.
“We want people to begin to see gig work… not just as a side hustle or a stopgap… but as a viable career path,” Aluko added.
