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Tag: Digital Literacy

  • NCC urges NSSB to create awareness about digital literacy

    NCC urges NSSB to create awareness about digital literacy

    The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has urged the Nasarawa State Scholarship Board (NSSB) to support the NCC in creating awareness about the intervention projects of the Commission concerning research and digital literacy in order to provide more opportunities for the citizenry.

    Director of Digital Economy at the Commission, Dr. Augustine Nwaulune, who hosted a delegation of the Board, led by the Board’s Executive Secretary, Hajia Saadatu Yahya, on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, recently, recalled that Nasarawa State is one of the beneficiaries of NCC’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) intervention projects such as the Digital Awareness Programme (DAP) for secondary schools, the Advanced Digital Appreciation Programme for Tertiary Institutions (ADAPTI), the Wireless Cloud, as well as the E-Health programme.

    “While we don’t give scholarship to students, the NCC has continued to give research grants to lecturers and students in the universities, and provided additional opportunities including sponsoring competitions involving students, as well as endowing professorial chairs in universities across the country. In the last seven years, the financial value of the endowments and grants is more than N500 million.

    “Therefore, I will appeal to NSSB to create awareness about these initiatives of the NCC among stakeholders in the academia, particularly the research grants to enable stakeholders to leverage such opportunities offered by the Commission to scholars interested in carrying out telecommunications-based research,” he said.

    Nwaulune said the NCC has been upbeat in ensuring implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), 2020-2030, in which one of its eight pillars, rests on digital literacy, while the Digital Economy Department has been set up and equipped by the Commission with the human resources required to coordinate its programmes in concrete terms.

    Yahya, whose delegation visited to discuss areas of collaboration for deepening digital/technical training and skills acquisition in Nasarawa State, commended the Commission for the central role it has played in promoting digital awareness and skills across the country, and pleaded that Nasarawa State should be given more opportunities to  benefit from NCC’s social investments and other digital economy-focused interventions, being the closest State to the Federal Capital Territory, the base of the Commission.

    “The purpose of our visit is to seek collaboration with the NCC in whatever ways possible, especially in the areas of scholarship, and ICT skills and literacy for our people. The ICT is, today, the engine room of global economy and we do not want to lag in this new digital order, hence, our decision to seek collaboration with organisations in the ICT space such as yours to work which, especially because you are contiguous to our State,” Yahya, the NSSB Executive Secretary said.

    Other members of the delegation, including Senior Special Assistant to Nasarawa State Governor on Information and Communication Technology, Haruna Sani; and the President, Nasarawa State Students Association, Sani Jibrin, spoke in favour of a greater collaboration with the NCC which would add the needed impetus to the current efforts by the state government to leverage ICT for economic development.

  • 95% digital literacy in Nigeria by 2030 promising – Pantami

    95% digital literacy in Nigeria by 2030 promising – Pantami

    The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, at the weekend in Gombe, said Nigeria’s march towards attaining 95 per cent digital literacy in 2030, as contained in the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), 2020 – 2030, now looks more promising than ever.

    Pantami, who presided over the graduation of participants at a two-week Digital Job Creation Training for the North-East in Gombe, which was facilitated by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, said “the reason we train citizens is because digital skills are no longer considered a luxury, but necessities required in any business you do. If you want to be successful, you need to have digital skills.’’

    According to the Minister, “ICT is not just an independent sector but the key enabler of all other sectors today. It enables opportunities in education, in health, in agriculture, in security, in defence, in manufacturing, in trade, in investment and in industry.”

    He, therefore, urged the participants to adopt innovation-driven enterprises and to utilize the training they have received to improve their economic status and make Nigeria a better place.

    “We have to utilise ICT in order to make our country a better place. We must use ICT even for our personal economic benefits amongst others. Therefore, we want to encourage you not to waste your times online but rather to use the knowledge you have acquired to make Nigeria a better place and at the same time, derive many economic benefits from it,” he said.

    The Minister highlighted that recent reports of the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, about the performance of each sector of the economy, which indicated an unprecedented ICT’s contribution of 18.44 per cent to the economy, as very heart-warming about the prospects of the industry meeting with the expectations of the relevant policies.

    “So, by implications, we set a record last year and we surpassed that record this second quarter of 2022 without involving the digital services. Only the ICT sector contributed 18.44 per cent, which can be attributed to the policies which we have introduced in the sector,” he said.

    He said the training which has taken place in nine other states, including the Federal Capital Territory, will be conducted throughout the remaining geopolitical zones.

    The Digital Job Creation Training is a two-week programme targeted at youth desirous of developing and enhancing their ICT skills in order to promote and enhance growth in the yet untapped and commercially viable digital economy both locally and globally. Each participant at the training received starter packs comprising laptop with accessories, MiFi Modem with three months data subscription, and some money.

  • Facebook launches initiative to boost digital literacy in Africa

    Facebook launches initiative to boost digital literacy in Africa

    Facebook says it has launched “My Digital World”, a programme designed to equip the youths in Africa, including Nigeria with skills needed to navigate the digital world.

    Facebook made the disclosure in a statement on Monday.

    It said that “My Digital World” was a consolidation of all Facebook digital literacy programs including Safe Online with Facebook, Ilizwe Lam, and eZibo which would all be offered virtually this year to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The company said over the years, it had trained thousands of people on digital literacy skills.

    It noted that this year it was prepared to train close to 20,000 participants across Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire and Ethiopia on safe, responsible and beneficial usage of the digital platforms.

    Commenting, Phil Oduor, Policy Programs Manager for Economic Impact and Digital Literacy, Facebook said: “We remain committed to equipping young people and the general public across Sub-Saharan Africa with the vital digital skills needed to navigate the digital world, especially during these pandemic.

    Oduor said it had never been more important to invest and train communities, the next generation of leaders to better understand and utilise the power of digital tools to take full advantage of what the internet had to offer.

    “The training is free and open to youths aged 13 years and above, and will also focus on teachers, parents and guardians.

    “The sessions commence from today June 15 with the programme including up to 90-minutes Instructor-led live webinars featuring presentations, demos and virtual discussions.

    “Also they will have access to digital marketing campaigns highlighting best practices, tips, quizzes and polls on digital literacy topics, with content delivered through Facebook and Instagram.

    “Modules on online safety, privacy, news and media literacy, and digital citizenship citizenship would also be made available.

    “Facebook is committed to the well-being of individuals and communities visiting its platforms, “Oduor said.

    He said Facebook also invested in this initiative to build awareness on responsible online behaviour, critical thinking and understanding of social issues.

    Oduor said Facebook had also instituted policies, tools, resources, partnerships, and programmes to help enable safe, responsible, and beneficial use of its platforms.