NITDA Creating Enabling Environment For Youths To Build Digital Solutions – DG

​‌⁠‍⁠‌‍⁠⁠‍‌‍By Emmanuel Mogbede

The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr Kashifu Abdullahi, says the company is creating an enabling setting for younger individuals to develop digital options, describing them because the nation’s biggest human capital useful resource.

Abdullahi mentioned this on Thursday in Abuja at an inaugural coaching workshop themed “Empowering Every Nigerian to be Heard”.

He mentioned the workshop aimed to advertise higher engagement and enhance the standard of lifetime of Nigerians.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) studies that the workshop was organised by Tinubu Must Stay (TMS), a political strain group of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in collaboration with DMI and Voices of Nigeria Initiative.

The workshop, attended by youths from throughout the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), targeted on accountable digital and social media communication and fact-checking earlier than publishing content material.

“If we empower you, we empower our nation and we drive national prosperity. So, at NITDA, we have lots of activities from fostering digital literacy and cultivating talent of our young people.

“We have initiated the digital literacy for all to make sure every Nigerian is digitally literate.

“We want to see a farmer in a remote area in Kaduna or Katsina, using his mobile phone to improve his farm yield. The income of most of our farmers today is a gamble against weather.

“They plant today, rain stops tomorrow, they apply fertiliser, it rains immediately and washes the fertiliser away. Today, with a mobile phone powered with an AI app, you can use it as your personal agronomist to advise you on the best time to plant your seed,” he mentioned.

Abdullahi added that elevated farm yields would allow farmers to ship their kids to highschool, make use of extra individuals and use expertise to attach with off-takers and promote on to markets.

He mentioned NITDA was partnering with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to coach Nigerians, including that greater than 19,000 NYSC digital literacy champions had been visiting markets and motor parks to supply one-on-one expertise coaching throughout the federation.

“We are empowering young people with skills they can use to work remotely. We have many young people working remotely for companies in the U.S., UK and Saudi Arabia, earning dollars because of the skills they have.

“President Bola Tinubu is creating all the enabling environment for youths, and we know reforms are a journey, not a one-off event.

“No country in this world developed within less than 30 years. Go and read the history, check the theories for development. The fastest-developed country in the world is North Korea,” he mentioned.

The NITDA boss mentioned North Korea took 30 years to change into a developed nation, including that the suitable insurance policies needed to be in place to realize improvement.

According to him, Tinubu is growing the suitable insurance policies and laying the inspiration for Nigeria’s greatness within the curiosity of all.

“Today, Nigeria has built up confidence. Even in our tech ecosystem, this week, a South African investment fund announced they are going to invest 1 billion dollars in building a data centre in Nigeria.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without the reforms of the Tinubu-led administration,” he mentioned.

Abdullahi expressed optimism that elevated confidence would entice capital inflows and encourage native buyers to put money into the nation.

He mentioned Nigerians had been the last word beneficiaries of the federal government’s ongoing reforms and may defend them to make sure continuity and maintain good governance.

He thanked the youths for attending the workshop, saying NITDA regarded ahead to their views on what the federal government ought to do and the way finest to maintain its reforms.

He added that Tinubu had accredited a youth convention to interact younger individuals and allow the federal government to formulate insurance policies that may assist form their futures.

Also talking, Mrs Marvel Jime, a digital skilled, urged youths and most of the people to speak responsibly on digital and social media platforms to keep away from authorized penalties.

Jime emphasised the necessity to decide on applicable platforms for goal audiences, confirm information and perceive the authorized implications of misusing social media functions.

“Be responsible and conscious of the possible impacts of your post, respect privacy, digital security and the law. Use your digital voice to propagate positive things.

“We are Nigerians and our voices deserve to be heard irrespective of how others feel. Know the right audience and the platform to reach them effectively,” she mentioned.

She suggested youths to interact responsibly and permit room for optimistic and constructive disagreements and questions.(NAN)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru