By Mohammed Mohammed
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on Sunday said Federal Government efforts toward promoting digital literacy has started yielding results, indicating its 95 per cent digital literacy target by 2030 achievable.
The Director General of NITDA, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa, made this known at the graduation ceremony of 50 children, including 10 Almajiris at the Engausa Global Tech Hub in Kano State.
The young children according to the agency were subjected to extensive training for two-weeks on innovative digital skills on Computer Networking, Installation of CCTV camera, Graphic Design, innovative creativity, among others.
Engausa Global Tech Hub is an Incubation centre, currently working in collaboration with NITDA in Kano, where young boys are being subjected to entensive training at their early stage, using Hausa language in building their skills on digital technology.
Inuwa, said that the centre had in 2021 trained over 700 young boys who were selected from various rural communities in the state, adding that he was very happy that the centre has coped 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 they trained more than 700 people in this centre as a result of this collaboration,” he said.
The DG, added that the agency have been expanding the collaboration and we are going to do more with them this year to see how we can help the less privileged children to have access to digital technology.
“One of our mandates 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, Kashifu 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 productivity 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 grassroot, the Almajiris, and school-drop-outs who cannot continue their studies due to lack of proficiency in English Language, among other things,” he said.
Ringing said he realised that Language should not be a barrier to achieving one’s dream, especially when it comes to global world. 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.
“So, I realised that English Language is not the only medium of learning skills, it is not the only medium of prosperity when it comes to knowledge and when it comes to practicing what you know.
“That is why I break the language barrier of English and domesticated the technology and the skills I have in me so that the people will easily tap from my knowledge through the use of Hausa language for better understanding of the subject matter.” he explained.