The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has made a case for a systemic and coherent adoption of Information and Communications Technology in Tertiary Institutions, noting that Nigeria cannot go far if ICT is not adopted in schools.
The Director-General of NITDA, Mal Kashifu Inuwa at the Huawei Education Summit 2022 (THES2022) which took place at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, argued that it has become expedient to forge and strengthen linkages between the ICT industry and tertiary institutions due to the benefits.
Mal. Inuwa who was represented by the Director of Information Technology Infrastructure Solutions (ITIS), Dr. Usman Gambo Abdullahi, also reiterated NITDA’s commitment to ensuring that efforts in this regard are supported and sustained.
“We cannot go far as a nation if ICT adoption in our tertiary institutions is not systemic and coherent. The world is becoming digital and tertiary institutions are where our leaders of tomorrow come from. Hence, we must do everything possible to empower them”, Inuwa maintained.
While making reference to available statistics which he noted have shown that about 65% of Nigerians are aged 35 years or younger and they are mostly considered to be millennials, a highly-skilled tech-savvy generation, Inuwa observed that it is not therefore surprising that the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg during his visit to Nigeria in 2016, asserted that he was blown away with the talents he saw in the Country.
The DG avowed that developing digital skills for Africans and particularly Nigerian students is significant for the development and industrialisation of the continent, adding that Nigerian students are digital natives; what they need is an enabling environment.
