The Federal Government has applauded the commitment and dedication of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to enhance the development of digital skills among young people, through the implementation of various IT skills programs information and communication.
Home Minister Rauf Aregbesola and Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami bestowed the commendation at the inauguration of a Digital Nigeria Center (DNC), a project executed by Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), a branch of NCC, at Ijesa Muslim Grammar School, Ilesa, Osun State recently.
Representing President Muhamadu Buhari at the event, Aregbesola commended the NCC for the speedy and thorough implementation of the project, saying he was confident that the project will help connect public secondary schools to high-speed internet in the Ilesa community and will ultimately equip beneficiaries with 21st century skills. .
“I would like to thank my very good friend and brother, the Honorable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, for accepting our request to have the first of this project renovated in the Osun State located in Ilesa. I would also like to thank the Executive Vice President of NCC, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta and the entire management and staff of NCC and USPF and their technical partners for the prompt and successful completion of this laudable project,” he said. .
Alongside the go-live, Aregbesola also announced the establishment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s 100 million naira Technology Fund for Youth Empowerment to nurture the emergence of world-class technology experts. The Minister of Interior said that the Fund targets 2,000 young people in the next two years, who will be equipped with training devices in different fields such as software development and design, among others.
Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, who was represented by the State Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Babatunde Olawale, expressed the gratitude of the government of State to Federal Government, Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and Nigerian Government. Communications Commission, for his initiative and in particular for the inauguration of the pioneering remodeled DNC project in Osun State. Oyetola also informed the enthusiastic assembly that the Osun State government was willing and ready to work with NCC to replicate the project in other parts of the state.
Speaking in the same spirit, Pantami, who was represented at the event by the Chairman of the NCC Board of Commissioners, Prof. Adeolu Akande, also congratulated the NCC and the USPF for the achievement of the DNC project at the name of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. . He said the project and those similarly instituted were initiated by the government to realize its vision of effectively digitizing the country’s economy for increased prosperity for all Nigerians.
Pantami said the federal government is focused on promoting the digital economy across the country and this informed the renaming of the Department of Communications to the Department of Communications and Digital Economy. In the aftermath of the rechristening, Pantami recalled that the Federal Government had put in place Digital Nigeria Focused Policies to strengthen the direction of existing policies to accelerate the delivery of the derivable benefits of the digital economy to Nigerians, whatever whatever their location and situation.
At the heart of these policies is the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, a 10-year, eight-pillar blueprint to refresh the federal government’s digital economy agenda unveiled in November. 2019.
Pantami affirmed that the DNC inaugurated in Ilesa was a concrete implementation of digital literacy and skills, the second pillar of the NDEPS.
According to Pantami, the overarching goal of the DNC project is to facilitate the adoption of the digital lifestyle in schools as well as in school communities. The Minister affirmed that the importance of the project cannot be underestimated, given its ability to improve the digital skills of young people and then make them globally competitive.
Pantami said the Nigerian government is committed to equipping young people with digital skills, strong literacy and numeracy skills, critical and innovative thinking skills, complex problem solving skills, the ability to collaborate and deploy socio-emotional skills, which they need to transform their lives. lives and build the economy.
“We have already made a number of giant strides in developing our digital economy culture and the rollout of initiatives such as the Digital Nigeria Center eloquently demonstrates the current administration’s commitment to connecting all Nigerians. “, said Pantami, also expressing the commitment of the federal government. to its tripartite agenda of improving the economy, fighting corruption and enhancing national security through the effective deployment of ICTs in every nook and corner of the country.
In his remarks, Danbatta, who was represented at the event by the Commission’s Director of Projects, Iyabode Solanke, stated all the regulatory activities, initiatives and programs that the Commission has undertaken since 2019, in collaboration with its key stakeholders. , including its arm, the USPF, aim to realize Nigeria’s deliberate policy of migrating to a fully digital economy.
He said the Commission achieves this by systematically committing to developing the right infrastructure to improve digital literacy and skills given the economic and social impact of digitalisation on all sectors.
The Director General of the NCC reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to the overall objective of bridging the digital divide through the provision of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as well as access to broadband to unserved and underserved institutions and communities across the country.
Earlier, the Principal of Ijesa Muslim High School, Ramota Ilesanmi, thanked the federal government led by President Buhari for the project, saying it will go a long way towards meeting the ICT needs of students and residents of the city.
The DNC, formerly known as the School Knowledge Center (SKC), is one of the projects in the USPF Access Program Framework, conceptualized to promote the availability and use of ICT and learning resources. Internet in teaching and learning in public schools in underserved areas. , unserved and rural areas.
The specific objectives of the DNC are to increase ICT literacy among teachers and students; provide a platform for accessing online educational resources; equip students with ICT skills; facilitate the adoption of ICT in teaching and learning; as well as increasing the pass rate in math, English and other science subjects.
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material and any other digital content on this website may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without the prior express written permission of PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected]
Comments are closed.