FG targets 95% digital literacy by 2021

Fri, Dec 13, 2019
By publisher
2 MIN READ

Business Briefs

ISA Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy, has promised that the federal government will facilitate 95 percent digital literacy skills in the next two years in Nigeria. He tasked state governments to support and key into the vision of the federal government in order to achieve the target.

Speaking at the 7th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Communications and Digital Economy, Pantami said to achieve basic, intermediate and advance skills in digital literacy, Nigeria must bridge the existing gap in the sector. As a result, he said the unflinching support of all states governments would be required.

“This cannot be achieved alone by the federal government, all the states must key-in to see that ICT literacy is provided to its indigenes. This is absolutely necessary for the implementation of digital economy,” he said.

Pantami pointed out why the federal government was agitating and advocating for all states to ensure that basic knowledge of ICT is mandatory from primary schools to secondary schools. According to him, the federal government believed that the initiative would create enabling environment for children to grow up with knowledge of ICT.

The minister urged the states to work towards changing the perception of their indigenes and residents and make them understand that today ICT is not about socialisation and ease of activities but for economic empowerment, which the world economists have predicted that the 60 percent of the world economy would be dominated by digital economy and we do not want to be left behind, he stressed. “To have a digital Nigeria means federal, states and local government must all be on board in order to achieve digital Nigeria, that is why it is very important to look at the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy.”

Pantami added that the responsibilities and implementations of the policy document would be borne by the federal, states and local governments. He, however, explained that the policy document was not static and that there was room for council deliberations to be accommodated and stressed the need for integration of observations, recommendations, comments, and constructive criticisms from stakeholders.

– Dec. 13, 2019 @ 18:35 GMT |

Tags: