Nigeria’s 95 percent digital literacy target by 2030 promising: Pantami

*Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Minister for Communications and Digital Economy, stresses  digital skills remain the key enabler of opportunities in education, health, agriculture, security, manufacturing, and trade among others to make the ‘country a better place’

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Honourable Minister for Communications and Digital Economy, at the weekend in Gombe, Gombe State, said Nigeria’s march towards attaining 95 percent digital literacy by 2030, as contained in the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, now appears more promising than ever.

Mr. Reuben Muoka, Director of Public Affairs at NCC, Monday, August 29, 2022, stated Prof. Pantami said this at the graduation of participants in a two-week Digital Job Creation Training for the North-East in Gombe.

A computer laboratory for digital literacy in Nigeria

ConsumerConnect reports the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) facilitated the Digital Job Creation Training for the North-East of the West African country.

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Muoka noted the Minister 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.”

Pantami also stated: “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.”

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

The Minister further stressed: “We have to utilise ICT in order to make our country a better place. “We must use ICT even for our personal economic benefits among others.

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“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.”

Pantami highlighted the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recent reports about the performance of each sector of the economy.

According to him, the NBS report indicated an unprecedented ICT contribution of 18.44 percent to the Nigerian economy, which he described as very heart-warming about the prospects of the industry’s meeting the expectations of the relevant policies.

READ ALSO: Danbatta Restates NCC’s Commitment To Broadband, Consumer Protection, Digital Economy

He stated: “So, by implication, 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 percent, which can be attributed to the policies we have introduced in the sector.”

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

The NCC discloses 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.

The telecoms sector regulatory Commission stated that each participant in the training receives starter packs comprising a laptop with accessories, MiFi Modem with three months’ data subscription, and some money.

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