Project Train 3m On ICT Skills Excites NCC Boss, Maida
Seeks Media, stakeholders’ partnership
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida has lauded the proposal by Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani to enlist and train three million Nigerians over a period of four years will make the country an exporter of digital skills.
This is as he seeks strategic partnerships and collaboration from all stakeholders, including the Media, towards promoting innovative interventions relevant to driving the digital economy for the overall good of Nigeria’s growth and development.
“The ambitious plans we have set out may seem lofty and even incredible, but through strategic partnerships and collaborations with all stakeholders, we believe that they are achievable.”
He said the programme, which has already attracted one million applicants, is capable of increasing Nigeria’s pool of technically-skilled persons in the global market leading to potential employers of digital and technical skills in the international scene to begin to engage more Nigerians.
The NCC Chief Executive spoke at the City Business News Summit in Lagos with the theme of the summit, “Repositioning Nigerian Economy through Telecommunications: 2023 and Beyond”.
According to him, in recognition of the rapid pace of technological advancement that is disrupting industries across the globe, Nigeria’s vision is rooted in the belief that embracing this disruption and fostering innovation will propel the nation toward sustainable growth, economic diversification, and enhanced living standards for all Nigerians.
Maida, who was represented by the Commission’s Director of Research and Development, Ismail Adedigba, said; “The vision is, thus, to accelerate the growth of Nigeria as a global technical talent hub and a net exporter of talent; to deepen and accelerate our position in global research in key technology areas and raise the complexity and dynamics of our economy by significantly increasing the level of digital literacy across Nigeria. In this regard, the Minister is looking to create a pipeline of three million technical talents.
“This programme, which has commenced already with over 1 million applications by potential trainees, is expected to increase the level of digital and technical skills among Nigerians, especially young and middle-level talents, to 70 per cent by the end of 2027. This will position Nigerians to productively contribute to the economy and place us in the top 25 percentile of research globally in the key areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), IoT, Robotics, Blockchain, and Additive Manufacturing in keeping with the strategic plan unveiled by the Minister.”
Noting that the Ministry’s policy direction, driven by five identifiable pillars, will deliver on the goals of fostering economic growth and development, Maida listed the pillars as policy; infrastructure; innovation, entrepreneurship and capital; trade and knowledge, which are the bedrock of the Strategic Vision Plan (2023 – 2025) and form the guide to channel efforts towards harnessing the potential of the telecommunications sector and drive positive change in Nigeria.
This is as he also assured that the Commission remains committed to providing an enabling environment for the building of the critical infrastructure required to power a strong digital economy, guarantee improved access to quality broadband connectivity, and the efficient management of the nation’s spectrum resources.
Going forward, the NCC Chief Executive said; “As we work with our supervising Ministry, Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, to take these steps to provide the enabling environment for repositioning the Nigerian Economy through telecommunications in 2023 and beyond, we call on Nigerians, especially our compatriots in the media, to tap into the aspects of these interventions that are relevant to them.
“The ambitious plans we have set out may seem lofty and even incredible, but through strategic partnerships and collaborations with all stakeholders, we believe that they are achievable.”
