NITDA’s Window of Opportunities in Nigeria’s Digital World
By Abubakar AbdurRahman Dodo
HOTPEN – The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is diligently digitizing workforce, solely aimed at creating opportunities for Nigerians, owing to which they can properly be positioned to deal with nation’s myriad problems in the 21st century.
What remains now depend on how the relevant stakeholders in Nigerian project strive hard to explore and utilize windows of opportunities open by the protagonist of boosting digital economy in Nigeria. NITDA and its parent Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy are highly committed to developing e-commerce and e-government, so as to create a level playing ground for both public and private sector.
However, Robert F. Smith in his Opening windows of opportunity, the World in 2020 stated that: “Today, for the first time in history, success requires no wealth or capital, no ownership of land, natural resources or people. Wealth can be created solely through the power of ideas. Intellectual capital can move people from poverty to prosperity in one generation.
Technology is creating a whole new set of on-ramps to the 21st Century Economy,” ( 1st Jan. The Economist 2020). This clearly expounds the fact that ICT skills are our youth start up capitals, as such the government need to shoulder the responsibility of training our children right from primary schools up to tertiary institutions. But trade unions and private sectors should always be at the forefront of moving Nigerians from poverty to prosperity.
The old way of doing things can no longer sustain us in the new global knowledge economy and society. Since ICT is an opportunity leveler, massive deployment of ICT tools in particular and science, technology and innovation tool in general is critical in our nation’s modernization drive.
An attendant challenge to accomplish this require a change of mind set of both leaders and followers (Science and Technology: Post Independence Development, E. Denenu, 2010).
Since its inception in 2007, NITDA has been in the forefront of propagating and promotion of digitization in Nigeria workforce and humanity at large. The agency is committed to carrying out all embracing collaboration with relevant stakeholders across geopolitical regions in the country.
Of recent National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) introduced e-library and skill acquisition training for our teeming number of youth. Indeed this is a very good initiative aimed at scaling down unemployment, owing to which ICT skills can easily be used to deal with poverty squarely. It is already in the public domain that NITDA, has established an Information Technology Centre with E-library facility in the hospital (ATBUTH).
The purpose of imparting ICT skills among our youth is solely aimed at boosting our digital economy. Thus, digital economy has encapsulated Information and Communication Technology (ICT), as such, ICT products, including networks, cloud-based systems and internet connection, as well as online platforms, data collection and storage systems, entertainment products and broadcasting services.
Nigeria’s digital economy improves economic growth, job creation and macroeconomic development. Nigeria has one of the most successful e-commerce companies in Africa, as recently Jumia became the first ever African start-up to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Also, in the entertainment industry Nigerian Music and Nollywood, to some extent Kannywood having a global reach. Nigeria’s e-commerce sector is valued at $13bn by the Economic Intelligence Unit.
In as much as we are committed to the service of humanity through massive deployment of ICT facilities, Nigeria’s myriad problems could easily be solved. Though the list is endless but the most prominent are:
Political instability and electoral malpractices; a mono-product dominated economy; high poverty profile; an epileptic power supply; unemployment on the rise; persistent food security challenges; down fall of standard of education; portraying moral decadence that led to poor governance, lack of social cohesion and a multifarious social vices. By and large low level of industrialization.
E. Denenu opined that, ‘Apart from the basic skill of reading and writing, greater emphasis need to be placed on numerical and digital literacy skills essential for our survival, growth, and development in a science and technology dominated world. (Post independence development: science and Technology in Nigeria 2010).
At this juncture, it is imperative to note that NITDA’s windows of opportunities could be properly utilized whenever the labour union deem it fit to liaise with the agency in establishing trade training centers, so as to douse and diffuse the time bomb of unemployment among our youth.
The agency shows its determination to give our youth sense of direction, in such a way that one can either be self employed or join the workforce of both public and private sector.
Moreover, NITDA need to break language barrier, simply by enlightening the public on the importance of ICT in their daily life activities, most especially using our local languages as medium of communication. With all these in place, NITDA’s window of opportunities in Nigeria’s Digital World will be enhanced, owing to which Nigerian government will deem it fit to decongest our medical centres, simply by exploring the use of telemedicine as the agency already set the pace by establishing an e-library in our teaching hospitals. This indeed is a stringent effort aimed at improving the quality of education, thereby rejuvenating our vibrant medical research institutions.
Dodo write from Kano State and can be reached at turakundodo@yahoo.com