The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in line Digital Literacy and Skills pillar of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria, commences the Digital Literacy and Skills Programme for States, tagged the Digital States Programme.
The Digital States Programme, designed as one of the implementation strategies of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria, is aimed at equipping Nigerian youths with the necessary digital literacy skills that can facilitate Nigeria’s transition to the Digital Economy. Specific areas of focus for the programme include:
IT Management of Productivity Tools;
Understanding Digital Marketing and Basics of Content Creation; and
Entrepreneurial Skills including Basics of Career Development.
The programme is aimed at training about 540 youths from each state of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. It is expected that about 20,000 Nigerians will benefit from the programme. Registration for the first phase of the programme commences on Monday 8th March, 2021. The beneficiary states for the first phase are Gombe, Kano, Lagos and Rivers States. Schedule for the subsequent phases will be advertised in due course.
Business Hilights recalls that NITDA is a Federal Government Agency under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. NITDA was established in April 2001 to implement the Nigerian Information Technology Policy as well as coordinate general IT development and regulation in the country. Specifically, Section 6(a, b, c & m) of the NITDA Act, 2007 mandates NITDA to create a framework for the planning, research, development, standardization, application, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and regulation of Information Technology practices, activities and systems in Nigeria; provide guidelines to facilitate the establishment and maintenance of appropriate infrastructure for information technology and systems application and development in Nigeria for public and private sectors, urban-rural development, the economy and the government; and accelerate internet and intranet penetration in Nigeria and promote sound internet Governance by giving effect to the Second Schedule of the Act.
