The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has advised the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) the administrator of the student loan initiative programme of the current administration to consider accommodating Nigerians who want to enroll in short courses that will equip them with digital skills.
Inuwa stated this on the background of the fact that the world is shifting from certificate to skill acquisition.
While receiving a delegation from NELFUND led by the Executive Secretary, Mr. Akintunde Sawyer, Inuwa argued that digital skills will empower citizens with high-in-demand global skills that will position Nigeria as a hotspot for brain export.
NELFUND’s visit to NITDA was to learn, collaborate and present a demo of the NELFUND Portal to NITDA for input.
Speaking during the visit, the Executive Secretary of NELFUND Mr. Sawyer said, the initiative intends to connect as many Nigerians as possible to the fund to obtain tertiary education and pay back after their one-year mandatory National Youth Service programme.
“Our mission is to strive to revolutionize higher education accessibility in Nigeria by providing interest-free loans to eligible students. We want to help as many people as possible get to the next level as it will benefit the individual, institutions, and the nation at large,” he said.