Nigerian Government tasks Educational Institutions to enhance digital skills

Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Pantami has reiterated the need for  educational institutions in the country to end unemployability by equipping citizens with requisite skills rather than depending on certificates that cannot be validated.

The Minister made the call while speaking at the CISCO SAFARI International Conference 2022 held at the Digital Economy Complex, Mbora, Abuja.

The conference which was themed ‘Digital skills in the 4th Industrial Revolution, the impact on National Development’ is an annual event where experts converge to discuss the progress and achievements of CISCO Academy in mentorship, career development programmes in the country and to strengthen the partnership its with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

The Minister while applauding NITDA and CISCO for their efforts in supporting the Federal Government of Nigeria in achieving a digital economy also commended them for supporting the Nation’s academic institutions ranging from universities, polytechnics to colleges of education in training students on digital skills.

Describing the theme of the conference as apt and a reflection of the present administration’s foresight in aligning with global trends, Pantami stated that digital skills and the 4th industrial revolution have been highlighted in the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy as key pillars in diversifying the country’s economy.

“ If you look at our National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a digital Nigeria (2020-2030) which was unveiled by President Muhammadu Buhari, on the 28th of November 2019, you will discover that these two components of the theme have been effectively mentioned and captured in the policy under pillars number 2 and 7. Pillar number 2 is digital skills and literacy while pillar number 7 is digital society and emerging technologies”, He noted.

Pantami emphasised  that emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Blockchain Technology among others have replaced the existing emergence of computers, worldwide webs and the internet which was experienced in the 3rd Industrial Revolution.

On the  impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution on the national economy ,Pantami recalled  that Nigeria experienced that ICT and other digital services contributed 17.9% to the Nation’s economy as regards 8% contributed by Oil in the second quarter of the year 2021, stating that the 4th Industrial Revolution is about knowledge and not natural resources.

He further reiterated that organizations like Microsoft, Apple, SpaceX and Amazon have taken prevalence over organizations like Shell, Mobil and Chevron.

While commending the country’s educational sector on the various policies developed to upscale digital skills in their institutions, He noted that the major focus should be on equipping undergraduates with skills.

He gave insights on prioritizing skills in the educational institutions stating that soft skill such as; analytical thinking, critical thinking, project management, and hard skill such as; artificial intelligence, robotics, internet of things, etc. should be introduced to boost employability in the country.

He restated government’s support by saying that “Of recent, we have had an agreement with Huawei and CISCO to establish a minimum of 300 academies in Nigeria and to train a minimum of 30,000 citizens on advanced training. In addition to this, we have another agreement with Microsoft in which 5 million citizens are going to be trained on ICT, particularly in the area of Artificial Intelligence”.

Earlier, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu commended Prof. Pantami on the unprecedented milestone achievements in sustaining a digital Nigeria also  expressed the Ministry’s commitment to equipping their institutions with the requisite skills to produce middle and high-level manpower needed to play an active role in the country’s drive for development.

“There is a need for us to improve the existing teaching methodology in our schools and our commitment is to provide digital skills for our students as demonstrated in our policies, strategies and initiatives”, He said

The Chief Host of the event, Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, while giving his address stated that the conference reflects the strong ambition and commitment of the Nation’s leadership to transform Nigeria into a knowledge and skills-based economy.

Expressing the government’s ambitious target of attaining 95% digital literacy in the country by 2030, Inuwa stated that “even though it is ambitious, it is attainable and with this partnership, we will certainly achieve this 95% digital literacy before 2030”.

Ime N