Mohamed Garba
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has intensified its efforts to achieve the targets set by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with a focus on securing a significant share of 85 million global jobs for young Nigerians within the next two years.
According to NITDA’s Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, the agency is committed to leveraging digital technologies to create wealth and job opportunities for Nigerians, in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The agenda emphasizes the importance of Nigeria’s vibrant youth population in driving economic growth and development.
“We have concluded arrangements for 15 million Nigerian pupils and students to be trained in digital literacy and skills in our primary and secondary schools.
“This will undoubtedly allow young Nigerians to benefit from global job opportunities shortly. It will also empower them and give them the necessary exposure to improve their skills on digital platforms.
“Recently a pilot study was carried out at Nasarawa State University on how this can be implemented and included in the University curriculum. The Programme was being implemented by CISCO in collaboration with NITDA.”
To achieve this goal, NITDA is collaborating with various stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Education, to integrate digital literacy into the country’s education curriculum. The agency is also working with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to provide digital literacy training to over 30 million Nigerian youths.
Furthermore, NITDA has partnered with Coursera, a global online learning platform, to provide Nigerian youths access to world-class educational content and digital skills training. This initiative aims to equip young Nigerians with the skills necessary to compete in the global digital economy.
With Nigeria’s youthful population and growing innovation hubs, the country is poised to become a major player in the global digital economy. NITDA’s efforts to promote digital literacy and skills development are critical to achieving this goal and securing a brighter future for young Nigerians.
