The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA),says its 95 per cent digital literacy target by 2030 is achievable.
Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General of NITDA,disclosed this known at the graduation ceremony of 50 children, including 10 Almajiris at the Engausa Global Tech Hub in Kano State.
Engausa Global Tech Hub is an Incubation Centre, currently working in collaboration with NITDA in Kano, where young people are exposed to entensive training, using Hausa language in building their skills on digital technology.
Abdullahi said that the centre had in 2021 trained over 700 young people who were selected from various rural communities in the state, adding that he was very happy that the Centre has co-opted young Almajiris into the system.
“We have been collaborating with Engausa like the founder said. As a result of intervention, we have done for the Centre last year, they had multiplied the number of people they trained. In 2021, as they trained more than 700 people in this Centre as a result of this collaboration,” he said.
He added that the agency has been expanding its collaboration, adding that more efforts would be deployed this year to help the less privileged children to have access to digital technology.
“One of our mandate is to implement the policy under the National Digital Economy Policy for digital Nigeria to logical conclusion in achieving the 95 per cent digital literacy by 2030.
“You know government cannot do it alone, we need to partner with Centres like Engausa to achieve this.
“So, we are working with them to even expand this Centre beyond Kano to other States and also to see how we can equip them more,” DG added.
Explaining further, he said; “we are also looking at how we can assist the children who have participated in this programme to start their own businesses.”
Earlier, the founder of the Centre, Mr Mustapha Ringim, said the Centre was out to bridge the gap among the young people, especially those who cannot make it in formal school.
“I realised that there are a lot of things that I can offer to the community concerning breaking some barriers and bridging some gaps which are limiting the productivity of our youth,especially the downtrodden ones at the grassroots, the Almajiris, and school-drop-outs who cannot continue their studies due to lack of proficiency in English Language, among other things,” he said.
Ringim said he had realised that Language should not be a barrier to achieving one’s dream, especially when it comes to global technology.
He argued that there are lot of developments in countries which are not using English Language as medium of learning skills, like European countries where English is not well spoken but still technology, innovation and creativity is flourishing in those countries.
