Nigeria today through the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy officially launched the Digital Nigeria portal and mobile app as part of the implementation of National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria.
Speaking at the launch in Abuja, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, noted that the launch is towards the implementation of the Digital Literacy and Skills Pillar, adding that it is a follow up of President Muhammadu Buhari’s flagging off of the Digital Nigeria Programme on the 19th of March 2020 to support Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training for Nigerians.
The Digital Nigeria Programme, according to the Minister 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. “The Digital Nigeria Programme 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 and people living with disabilities,” he promised.
Specifically, the objectives of the www.digitalnigeria.gov.ng portal and the ‘Digital Nigeria’ Mobile include empowering innovators and entrepreneurs with skills required to thrive in Nigeria’s emerging digital economy and to provide capacity building in a wide range of areas, including Digital Literacy, Productivity Tools, Web Development, Cloud Computing, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Database Administration, Networking, Programming, Internet of Things and Soft Skills.
Other objectives include to create a platform to support a paradigm shift from degrees to skills and bridge the gap between the academia and industry, promote the development and distribution of instructional materials in electronic format and to create an enabling environment for building the capacity of Innovation Driven Enterprises (IDEs) and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through e-learning channels.
Meanwhile, the Minister has said the launch of the portal and mobile app is part of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy’s commitment to developing the capacity of Nigerians to use technology to solve problems, stressing that the Digital Nigeria programme will provide a platform to empower Nigerians to develop relevant skills and build innovative solutions to address challenges within our community.