National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has projected a 95% target for digital literacy in Nigeria by 2030.
Director-general of NITDA Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi stated this when chief executive director Aid for Rural Education and Access Initiative (AREAI) Prince Gideon Olarewaju and some members of the organisation paid a courtesy visit to NITDA headquarters in Abuja recently.
He said during the lockdown of COVID-19 pandemic, NITDA came up with virtual academy with an enrolment of over sixty thousand online students and beneficiaries.
“The Agency is now working to upgrading it to a standard mass open online courses platform like Coursera and Edx.”
He added that, NITDA recently unveiled its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) 2021-2024, “designed as a template or map to assist the agency achieve the targeted plans through the execution of the strategic pillars.”
According to him, “SRAP is anchored on 7 strategic pillars: developmental regulations, digital literacy and skills, digital transformation, digital innovation and entrepreneurship, cyber security, emerging technologies and promotion of indigenous content,” adding that the Agency was committed to supporting and collaborating with Non-Governmental Organisations working within the scope of the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2021-2024).
“With the mandate and expertise from the Aid for Rural Education and Access Initiative, there is opportunity for Nigerian youth to position himself as leader in terms of ICT, digital economy and digital literacy with skills and innovation.”
The DG pointed out that NITDA is particularly passionate about four areas of collaboration: digital literacy and skills, “where we have a target of 95% digital literacy in Nigeria by 2030.
He added that, “NITDA is hoping that other related institutions will key into this and start providing skills and certificate courses for our citizenry and even beyond the shores of our country.”
On digital innovation and entrepreneurship, Abdullahi said NITDA was already coming up with something new that will impact knowledge to the rural communities. Also, “the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics is one of the centres set up as an intervention centre to develop local content and upgrade the skills of the citizen.”
He encouraged AREAI to take advantage of the facility to identify talents and develop ideas in their area of interests that will impact on the girl child education’s digital literacy and skills.
The meeting with AREAI opened discussion for the two organisations to come up with working tools to develop the idea into practicable reality.
Earlier, chief executive director of Aid for Rural Education and Access Initiative (AREAI) commended NITDA for the opportunity to showcase their talent, especially in ‘Digi-learn’ which is one of the “smartest ways” of impacting knowledge to the rural communities.
He expressed hope that the collaboration with NITDA will be of advantage to AREAI in harnessing potentials and expertise in bringing more innovation to the rural communities in digital ways.
