1 Million Anambra Digital Tribe (1MADT) is a free digital skills training initiative by the Anambra State Government’s Solution Innovation District, aiming to upskill 1 million people. It empowers youth, women, and informal workers through online learning, driving job creation, startup development, and inclusive economic transformation across the state.

In Anambra, Nigeria, a state of over 8.5 million people, half of whom are under 40, deep-rooted developmental challenges have stifled growth and opportunity for decades. High youth unemployment, digital illiteracy, drug abuse, rising crime, and low economic power have created a cycle of despair, especially among young people. Technology adoption has been slow, particularly in rural communities, where access to digital skills, devices, and the internet has been limited or non-existent. Recognizing the urgency, the Governor of Anambra State established the Solution Innovation District (SID), a bold public-led response to these systemic issues. SID launched the flagship initiative, the 1 Million Anambra Digital Tribe (1MADT), a free statewide upskilling programme aiming to train 1 million people in digital and entrepreneurial skills, largely through an online learning management system. It includes mentorship, job opportunities, and a placement service. This programme was designed as a lifeline for many youths. To tackle the digital divide, SID has partnered with innovation hubs and ICT centres across the state, providing free learning centres with internet access and devices, allowing young people to participate regardless of economic background (centres that previously only hosted computer-based examinations are now being repurposed). The programme also provides free computers to top performers and to referrers. To address insecurity and drug dependency, the programme engages idle youth with practical, future-focused learning and mentorship, from digital marketing to coding, product design to freelancing, turning potential into purpose. By linking skills training to startup support, mentorship, and investment readiness, 1MADT is transforming marginalised communities into centres of innovation. From street traders taking their businesses online, to rural women becoming tech-savvy entrepreneurs, to young men finding alternatives to crime through digital careers, 1MADT is restoring dignity, driving economic empowerment, and building a safer, more inclusive Anambra from the grassroots up.

The 1 Million Anambra Digital Tribe (1MADT) is a breakthrough in public-led innovation in Nigeria, a people-powered, inclusive, and integrated model for digital and entrepreneurial development that is rooted in local realities, not imported ideals. What makes it innovative? It is online and accessible anywhere. Inclusive by design, 1MADT does not just serve university graduates or the urban elite. It welcomes informal workers, rural youth, women, and even teenagers, many of whom had never touched a computer, into the digital economy. By designing for the margins, it lifts the centre. Radical accessibility and scalability: training is 100% free, with partner ICT centres in local communities providing free internet and devices (paid completely by SID, helping build the capacity of the centres). Through mobile-friendly platforms and grassroots outreach, the programme is reaching tens of thousands with minimal infrastructure barriers, a scalable model even for the most underserved areas. Community-driven amplification: young people have taken ownership of the programme through Techies4Solution, a youth-led volunteer movement promoting digital literacy and programme awareness across all 179 towns in Anambra (by community clusters, they now have networks in 326 communities within the 179 towns). It is innovation that spreads not through ads alone, but through people. Whole-system ecosystem: 1MADT is not a siloed training programme. It is embedded within a larger innovation district that includes the Anambra Startup Incubation Programme, remote work and job-matching portals (Anambra Jobs), business clinics and angel networks, the annual Anambra Innovation Week which showcases local talent and ideas and inspires participants to create and build solutions with their skills, and even digital tools for public service delivery. African-centred innovation model: this is not a Silicon Valley cut-and-paste. It is an African-grown, locally validated ecosystem that combines tech, entrepreneurship, civic empowerment, and cultural relevance — built for and by the people it serves. Social impact beyond business: by engaging idle youth with purpose, the programme reduces drug abuse, crime, and insecurity, and restores hope through skill, structure, and opportunity. In essence, 1MADT is redefining what inclusive innovation looks like: community-owned, state-supported, youth-led, and truly transformational.

The 1 Million Anambra Digital Tribe (1MADT) has sparked a grassroots digital revolution, so far training over 60,000 individuals in in-demand digital, technical, and entrepreneurial skills, with more than 50% being women, many from rural and underserved communities. Over 20,000 youth have gained future-ready skills in coding, product design, and entrepreneurship, with thousands of informal traders now leveraging digital tools to scale their businesses. The programme has also birthed dozens of startups, all led by first-time founders, and has further inspired the formation of a new angel investment network to support early-stage ventures in the state. Beyond training, the movement has given rise to Techies4Solution, a self-organized network of young beneficiaries committed to spreading the initiative across all 179 towns in Anambra, ensuring that no community is left behind. This grassroots mobilization reflects the ownership and belief young people now have in becoming empowered through technology and the contributions they are capable of making with the right skills. It has also resulted in a female-dominated Artificial Intelligence Club of professionals and enthusiasts. For the Solution Innovation District (SID), the programme has evolved from a bold idea into a full-fledged innovation ecosystem. SID’s incubation programme now receives new startup ideas developed as a result of skills and interest gained through the 1MADT programme. This, in turn, is attracting faster development opportunities and interest from the diaspora and international investors, building global partnerships, and establishing Anambra as a fast-emerging hub of innovation in Africa. Signature events like the Anambra Innovation Week now shine a spotlight on homegrown founders, proving that world-class innovation can take root and thrive right at home, even from scratch. The result is a transformed narrative: you don’t have to leave Anambra to succeed , you just need the right ecosystem, and SID is making that ecosystem real through the 1MADT programme.

The main users of 1MADT (1 Million Anambra Digital Tribe) are young people aged 10 to 35 including students, unemployed or underemployed youth seeking marketable digital skills, students and recent graduates needing practical experience and job readiness, and at-risk youth who were previously vulnerable to drug abuse or crime and are now finding purpose and pathways to legitimate income. Women and girls, especially from rural and underserved communities, are also key participants, gaining access to digital tools and entrepreneurship training, with many informal traders or homemakers entering the digital economy for the first time. Informal sector workers such as street vendors, artisans, and small business owners use the training to digitise their operations, manage inventory, and expand their reach through social media and e-commerce. Aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs gain skills in product design, graphic design, digital marketing, coding, and startup development, with many going on to join the Anambra Startup Incubation Programme or pitch at Anambra Innovation Week. Tech enthusiasts and freelancers participate to enter the gig economy, particularly in areas such as graphic design, UX UI, content creation, and software development. Rural youth with limited access are included through partner ICT centres, where even those in communities with poor connectivity or no personal devices can participate free of charge. Volunteers and ecosystem builders, including youth leaders and tech advocates such as those in the Techies4Solution movement, promote awareness, support peers, and help scale the initiative across the state. In summary, 1MADT’s users span genders, locations, and socio-economic backgrounds, unified by a shared desire to gain relevant skills, unlock opportunity, and contribute meaningfully to Anambra’s future as we build our Silicon Valley known as the Solution Innovation District.

The programme is run by Solution Innovation District, a newly established innovation district by Anambra State Government. It is the first Innovation District in the Southeast of Nigeria.