The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has made significant strides in its mission to achieve a digitally literate population of 95 percent by 2030. According to the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, the agency has successfully equipped over 3 million Nigerians with relevant digital skills.
Inuwa shared this accomplishment during the Council on Global Partner Summit held in Orlando, Florida, United States. He highlighted the various multi-sectoral capacity-building programs initiated by NITDA, including Stem Bootcamp for Kids, digital skills training for students, public servants, journalists, Digital Marketing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Programming, and Digital Entrepreneurship, among others.
He said, “NITDA has empowered 3.3 million Nigerians with several digital literacy and skills through multi-sectoral capacity-building programmes such as Stem Bootcamp for Kids, digital skills training for students, public servants, journalists, Digital Marketing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Programming, Digital Entrepreneurship and many more.”
The agency’s focus on massive digital literacy training for Nigerian youths aims to position the country as a global Information Technology hub capable of addressing the worldwide digital skills shortage. NITDA is dedicated to developing policies, regulations, and initiatives that will further deepen digital literacy and skills across the nation.
Inuwa also advocated for the inclusion of Mobile Information Literacy in future versions of Certiport’s IC3 Global Digital Literacy Standard, recognizing the significant number of Nigerian and African citizens who rely on their mobile phones to access and engage in the digital economy.
As part of its commitment to ICT education in Nigeria, NITDA celebrated the participation of six Nigerian students in the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship (MOSWC). These students were selected during the Nigerian National Championship organized by the ReadManna Empowerment Initiative (REI). Inuwa praised their achievements, which not only made Nigeria proud but also showcased the country’s potential in digital literacy and skills on the global stage.
The founder of ReadManna Empowerment Initiative, Edna Agusto, represented by Ms. Efeoma Olotu, reaffirmed that MOSWC is open to students aged between 13 and 22 years enrolled in academic institutions. Interested institutions seeking to participate in future editions of MOSWC can contact the initiative for successful participation.
Nigeria’s abundance of human capital and their excellence in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector has earned the country recognition on the global stage. With continued nurturing of talent, unwavering spirit for success, government support, and the dedication of key stakeholders like ReadManna, Nigeria is poised to lead in the digital sphere during this technology-driven era.
During the summit, NITDA introduced Nigeria’s recently launched National Digital Literacy Framework to global experts, while also seeking insights into successful digital literacy implementations from other countries. The agency received valuable support and offers to help Nigeria achieve its ambitious goal of attaining 95% digital literacy by 2030.
