By Angeline Mgbele, Bureau Chief, North
Over 2000 Nigerian youths from the Six Geopolitical Zones of the country have been trained in digital job acquisition in an intervention programme promoted by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) while the ongoing edition of the programme has 600 youths being trained.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta said the Digital Job Creation for Youths (DJCY) was part of a programme designed to enhance the skills of youths across all Six Geopolitical Zones of Nigeria through customised training and the offer of fully loaded laptop computers with networking devices, to equip them for the purposes of engaging in different digital entrepreneurship businesses that they may choose.
Cyber Era NG understands that the beneficiaries are provided with free accommodation facilities for two weeks, during which resource persons in digital skills, business development and management, are engaged to retool them with their laptops to re-orientate them towards self-discovery, self-development, and self-employment.
Some of the objectives of the DJCY include remoulding youths with other skills with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) proficiency to fit into the digital economy as well as strengthening technical and scientific competencies among the youths with a view to creating opportunities for self-employment. It is also designed to improve access to ICT-enabled services such as banking and strengthen the ICT micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector of the economy.
DJCY relies on the provisions of National Digital Economy Policy & Strategy (NDEPS), 2020-2030, which encourages the promotion of Digital Literacy and Skills through “massive training of Nigerians from all works of life in order to enable them to obtain digital literacy and other digital skills.”
Hundreds of the participants in the previous two editions, have reported gainful self-employment, using the laptops and Internet connectivity tools provided by the Commission.
According to the NCC boss, “It is gratifying to note that the Commission has, through the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Ali Ibrahim Pantami, received the commendations of the Federal Government, for the way and manner it had efficiently and effectively designed and implemented this programme for the benefit of the Nigerian youths.
The Commission restates its full commitment to this programme because of the positive feedback from the previous editions and the potential it has in enhancing the digital opportunities of the Nigerian youth for the benefit of the nation’s digital economy.”
- Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of our earlier story: Nigerian Communications Commission Fully Converted On Digital Job Creation For Youths-Danbatta
