Precious Obogo
Kabod Digital Marketing Academy has trained more than 400 Nigerians in practical digital marketing skills since 2021, as it seeks to bridge the gap between the growing use of digital platforms and the shortage of professionals capable of deploying them to achieve measurable business results.
The academy, founded by Emmanuel Egaga, said its training model was designed to move beyond theoretical learning by equipping participants with practical experience in areas such as paid advertising, search engine optimisation (SEO), analytics, content strategy, and digital marketing planning.
Egaga said the academy was established after identifying a major gap in Nigeria’s digital economy; while interest in digital marketing was growing, many graduates, entrepreneurs and businesses lacked the practical skills required to use digital platforms professionally.
“We saw businesses spending significant sums on digital advertising without the internal capability to evaluate what they were purchasing. We saw graduates with marketing degrees who could not set up a Meta Ads campaign or conduct a basic SEO audit,” he said.
According to him, the academy was created to produce practitioners who can work with live campaigns, analytics dashboards and real client briefs rather than simply understand digital marketing terminology.
Since its establishment, Kabod Digital Marketing Academy has trained more than 400 participants through physical and online cohorts, with its programme exposing students to professional tools including Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Meta Business Suite and Google Ads.
Participants are also trained to conduct SEO audits on live websites, develop live landing pages, develop content strategies based on audience research, launch paid advertising campaigns with targeting and conversion tracking, and develop comprehensive digital marketing plans.
Egaga said the practical nature of the training had helped participants pursue different career and business opportunities, including securing professional marketing roles, building freelance careers and improving the digital operations of their businesses.
The academy said at least three of its former students have gone on to establish their own businesses, with two currently running social media and digital marketing agencies, while another operates an e-commerce brand. Others have gotten well-paying jobs both locally and internationally.
“The programme provides the preparation. What graduates build with it is genuinely their own,” he said.
He identified paid advertising, SEO and analytics as among the digital marketing skills currently in high demand, as businesses increasingly move beyond simply maintaining a social media presence to demanding measurable commercial results from their digital investments.
He reiterated that businesses are seeking professionals who can properly structure and optimise Meta and Google advertising campaigns, improve organic search visibility and interpret digital data to support informed business decisions.
“The market has an oversupply of people who can manage content calendars and an undersupply of people who can connect content activity to revenue outcomes,” Egaga said.
He added that Kabod Digital Marketing Academy regularly updates its curriculum to reflect changes in digital platforms, tools, algorithms and industry practices, drawing from its experience within the digital marketing ecosystem.
Egaga acknowledged that quality digital-skills training could provide young Nigerians with one of the most accessible pathways into the emerging digital economy, particularly because digital marketing skills can be applied across geographical boundaries.
“A trained Nigerian digital marketer can serve a client in Lagos, a client in Nairobi, or a client in London from the same laptop,” he said.
He stressed, however, that digital skills training should not be presented as a complete solution to Nigeria’s unemployment challenge, warning against low-quality programmes that issue certificates without providing sufficient practical competence.
As part of its next phase of training, Kabod Digital Marketing Academy has opened registration for its September 2026 cohort. The September cohort is open to fresh graduates, working professionals, entrepreneurs, business owners and other individuals seeking to acquire practical digital marketing skills.