The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) Mal. Kashifu Inuwa has urged the Ondo State government to equip its people with digital skills and provide them with digital infrastructure.
The NITDA DG, who delivered a keynote address titled “Tech-Forward Ondo” at the Develop Ondo 2.1, a virtual summit organised by the state’s Ministry of Regional Integration and Diaspora Relations, noted that such empowerment will enable the citizens to establish innovation-driven enterprises in the state and also participate in the global digital economy.
Inuwa, who was represented by the Acting Director of Corporate Planning and Strategy Department, Dr. Aristotle Onumo advised the state to prepare its people for tomorrow’s jobs.
“To compete in the digital economy, the state government needs to prioritise education and build the digital skills of its workforce by creating efficient safety nets to support those transactions,” he said.
While acknowledging that Ondo State is blessed with abundant material resources especially human capital, both at home and in the diaspora, he said digital transformation can only become impactful in the state if the people are prepared and ready to participate in the global digital economy.
According to him, the continuous evolvement of technology in the state’s processes would make the state government adopt new technologies and leverage them to their advantage.
“For state government to effectively deliver on its promises of efficient services to the people, there is a need to be prepared to constantly adapt to the impact of technology in their operations,” he added.