Digital skills: NITDA plans to train 1m youths in 18 months — DG
By Ibiyemi Mathew
The Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa has revealed that the agency plans to train one million youths within 18 months.
Inuwa disclosed this while delivering a keynote address at the Ogun Digital Summit on the theme ‘Digital Technology: Key to sustainable Future.’
The DG urged the youths to secure their future by investing in digital skills. He encouraged the youths to see Tech as the present and the future of today’s world.
He challenged the youths to take their innovative ideas from conception to impact and commercialise their technologies in order to contribute towards the growth of the Nation’s digital economy.
“Globally, there is a shortage of talents, so, we are creating a mandate to develop a talent strategy because we have a competitive advantage as a country with our vast human and natural resources. Nigeria can seize the opportunity to fill that gap,” the DG said.
The NITDA Boss expressed hopes that some of the participants who were majorly youths of the state will be among the one million developers the agency plans to train in 18 months.
“The government cannot give everyone seed funds or grants at the same time, which is the reason why you need to think outside the box and have something an investor would be interested in, that way, you would have had the needed funds to grow your products and services without the encumbrances of the sometimes tiring government bureaucracies,” he advised.
The DG harped that innovation will help in creating a sustainable future for Nigeria and Nigerians.
“Digital technology provides the source of inspiration for you to be great innovators and solve any problem you can think of,” Inuwa said.
“Data is said to be the new oil, but for me, it is more than oil because data is infinite, the more you use it, the more you create it. So, this is an opportunity for you to tap in to it and so we can achieve the sustainable future we seek,” Inuwa maintained.
Acting on the agency’s mandate, the Director General made a commitment of providing a Digital Centre for St. Peters Anglican Primary School, 1 Isara, Remo North, Ogun State.
