The Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy has launched a Digital Nigeria portal and mobile app as part of its ongoing drive to boost digital literacy in the country, and to empower more Nigerians to solve problems using digital tools.
Isa Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy at the launch of the platforms said: “Today, we are formally launching the Nigeria Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training portal and the ‘Digital Nigeria’ Mobile App. We are committed to enabling Nigerians to acquire high-level digital skills from the comfort of their homes.”
Pantami noted that the launch of the programme was to provide an avenue for all Nigerians to acquire digital skills that will make them more employable in the competitive global market.
“The Digital Nigeria Programme will provide a national platform for improving the digital literacy of Nigerians and it will enable Nigerians from all walks of life to acquire high-level digital skills. It will have a strong emphasis on skills for jobs and will include Nigerians in all strata of society, such as youth, women, children, internally displaced persons, people living with disabilities, etc.,” the minister said.
Pantami stated that governments across the world are now favouring skills over certificates, and noted that the newly launched platforms will help Nigerians gain important skills.
“Degrees are only meant to validate skills. This is a growing trend across the globe. For instance, China recently started the process of turning 600 of the country’s general universities into skill centres. Also, the President of the United States of America signed an Executive Order on the 26th of June 2020 directing the federal government lay emphasis on skills rather than degrees when hiring staff. The curriculum vitae of today should have 2 main parts- soft skills and hard skills,” Pantami explained.
Courses on the platform cover hard skills like digital skills, productivity tools, web development, cloud computing, blockchain, artificial intelligence, big data, database administration, networking, programming and Internet of Things. The platforms also cover areas like entrepreneurship, research, marketing, business and resume creation.
