The Director General/CEO, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Kashifu Inuwa, has said Digital Economy Employability Programme (DEEP) will provide Nigerians with a higher probability of employment in the global digital economy.
The DG NITDA particularly urged members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to take advantage of the programme, adding that it may turn out to be a life changer for them.
Inuwa stated this Saturday at the flag off of the Digital Economy Employability Programme (DEEP) at the NYSC orientation camp Kubwa, Abuja.
According to him, the programme will particularly focus on trending digital technologies and digital business strategies that will help participants discover opportunities in the global digital economy.
He added that the initiative was part of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030 and expanded the mandate of the then Ministry of Communications to include Digital Economy, under the leadership of Prof. Isa Ali Pantami which is geared toward empowering young Nigerians with digital skills in order to be part of the fourth industrial revolution.
“This was done to underscore the importance of a digital economy for the country and to also expedite the achievement of an effective and sustainable digital economy for the country.
“To achieve the intentions of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, 8 pillars for success were developed and one of these pillars is “Digital Literacy and Skills” which is intended at ensuring that all Nigerians acquire relevant digital literacy and skills to thrive in this fourth industrial revolution which is powered by digital technology, digital literacy and digital skills.
“According to an international tech company, about 149m new digital jobs will be available by 2025 and 800million people will need to learn digital skills by 2030 for them to be able to effectively perform their non-digital jobs. The implication of this projection is that many Nigerians, both in the IT and non IT space must acquire digital literacy and skills in order to thrive in this current fourth industrial revolution.
“Given our huge population of about 218 million and of which about 50% is constituted by youths, we have enough potential human capital to drive the data economy, and that is why we have decided to flag off this programme in 7 NYSC strategic camps. We believe that the NYSC camps hold the brightest and the most intelligent Nigerian Youths.
“We believe that corps members will not only benefit from this programme, but will also create a multiplier effect by transferring the knowledge and skills acquired during the course of this programme to other Nigerians and this will help the country realize its target of 95% digitally literate Nigerians by 2030.”
He said the programme will help create the opportunity for Nigerians to also create job opportunities within the digital economy space which will ultimately help increase the contribution of ICT to the country’s GDP which currently stands at 18.44%.
“Furthermore, the outcome of this programme will help the country improve on its efforts at moving the country from a resource-based economy to a digital and knowledge-based economy,” he added.
