Politics
THE KAD ICT Hub, in partnership with the French Development Agency (FDA), will train one million residents of Kaduna State on digital skills to create entrepreneurs and boost employment opportunities.
Mr Yusuf Bashir, the Chief Executive Officer, KAD ICT Hub, made this known at the opening of a two-day workshop in Kaduna on Wednesday.
Bashir added that the training, which would be undertaken across the next four years, would create 200,000 jobs within the period.
He said that the training would be conducted under the Educational Technology Implementation Plan Project with the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.
He explained that the project was in line with the Nigerian Innovation and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Entrepreneurship Vision being executed through building the digital capacity of the Nigerian population to boost employment of youths in the country.
He said that the KAD ICT Hub and AFD digital skills acquisition programmes for young residents of Kaduna state was a pilot project to that end.
He identified the target beneficiaries to include youths, especially students in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, and other groups, with emphasis on low-income demography.
He added that other beneficiaries would be graduates, out-of-school youth or dropouts, and young unemployed adults with keen interest on ICT skills, to prepare them to have better access to employment.
“This initiative will contribute to preparing the current and next generation of youths in Kaduna State for entrepreneurship and enable them secure fulfilling 21st century jobs in the technology sector.
“The training will be conducted via online platforms in 46 ICT centres that will be established, with two in each of the 23 Local Government Areas of the state,” Bashir added.
Mr Aso Vakporaye, Acting Director, Economic Growth Department, Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, in a remark, said that Nigeria had the largest online market in Africa.
Vakporaye, who was represented by Mr Olusoyi Fatuyi, a Deputy Director in the ministry, said that the country’s online market worth had grown significantly over the years .
He described the digital industry as the future of the nation’s economy requiring more commitment from relevant stakeholders to tap its full potential.
Mr Paolo Lesbordes of the FDA, who also spoke, said that the initiative was to encourage economic growth and employment in the country.
“We hope that this will demonstrate the potential of the digital industry being championed by KAD ICT Hub, in boosting employment in the state,” he said.
On his part, the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Ahmed Bamalli, commended KAD ICT Hub, the federal government and FDA for the initiative.
Bamalli, who is the Chairman of the Special Committee on Youth and Civil Societies for the Northern States Governors Forum, said that the initiative would provide opportunities for the youths to thrive.
He noted that a major cause of youth unemployment was lack of employable skills, stressing that ICT training provides access to new employment opportunities as demonstrated by the KAD ICT HUB.
“The training will not only equip youths with skills to start up their businesses, but also enable them to become employers of labour.
“The core mandate of the Special Committee on Youth Civil Societies is to tackle the socio-economic problems being faced in Nigeria, particularly the north.
“I am optimistic that as we focus more on the ICT sector, we will be able to provide jobs for our youth and reduce the level of poverty in our society,” he said
NAN
– Dec. 9, 2020 @ 17:46 GMT |
Tags: French agency to train 1m Kaduna State residents on digital skills KAD ICT Hub
