The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has called on youths in Jigawa State to embrace information and communication technology (ICT) skills, as they are key to driving Nigeria’s digital economy.
The NITDA’s boss made the call in Dutse, Jigawa State, North-West Nigeria, during the flag-off of a capacity-building training programme sponsored by the state government for 1000 youths in the state.
The training, which was organised by the Jigawa State government, the National Information Technology Agency (NITDA), Base University, and IDEAS through the Jigawa State Development Agency for Youth Empowerment and Employment, is part of the state’s effort to explore more economic opportunities for accelerated development.
While advising the youth in the country to embrace ICT skills for sustainable development and self-reliance, the NITDA boss noted that the world is shifting from paper qualifications to skills and those who want to succeed must key into them to survive.
He said, “This training of the one thousand youths in Jigawa on skills in emerging technologies will enable the state to recover its lost glory as the leading state in the ICT sector of Nigeria in the early 2000s.”
According to the Director General, NITDA will continue to partner with state governments across the country to expand digital literacy for citizens’ exclusivity in propelling the national digital economy to fight poverty and poverty-related challenges in the country.”
Inuwa described the training as strategic to the state’s efforts at exploring more economic opportunities for the accelerated development of the state.
The Governor of Jigawa State, Umar Namadi, who was represented at the event by the Deputy Governor, Aminu Usman Gumel, commended NITDA for its various intervention programmes in the state, which cut across many sectors. He noted that they have helped the state achieve the present feat in less than one year in office.
Other speakers at the flag-off ceremony, including the Director General of the Jigawa State Agency for Youth Empowerment and Employment, Dr. Habibu Ubale, and representatives from the collaborating organisations, all agreed that providing ICT skills to youths in the state would enhance sustainable economic development.
The training, which is focused on five areas with special attention to robotics, artificial intelligence, and software development, among others, is believed to produce young talents that will take the lead in pulling the string of digital development in the state and the country at large.
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