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ICT Parks will boost Nigerian youths’ Digital skills
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Parks will provide jobs for Nigerian youths
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that over 2, 600 Nigerian youths have benefited from digital opportunities resulting from training in digital skills offered by the Commission across the country’s six geo-political zones.
Speaking on Friday in Lagos at the Digivation Future Summit themed: ‘Enabling Today’s Enterprise, Building Tomorrow’s Economy’, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta disclosed that when completed, the ICT Parks being developed by the Commission in each of the six geopolitical zones, will boost youth digital skills acquisition, promote innovations, provide jobs for the teaming Nigerian youth, and ultimately support the overall digital economy agenda of the Federal Government.
Represented by Mr. Reuben Muoka, Director Public Affairs at the NCC, Prof. Danbatta stated that there are other skills development and empowerment programmes through the provision of infrastructure in secondary and tertiary institutions and training of academics and noted that the NCC believes that skills development underline digital innovation.
Speaking on the theme of the Summit, the NCC boss said that enabling today’s enterprise and building tomorrow’s economy envisages the application of technologies as it has been discovered over time that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) underline any successful business today and in the future.
Danbatta opined that infrastructure provision is critical to building today’s business and enhancing the economy of tomorrow and explained that the NCC is the key driver of the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP), 2020-2025, by way of promoting the deployment of broadband infrastructure across the country.
“Broadband, by global acknowledgment, drives all sectors of the economy. More than 89.7 million broadband subscriptions indicate that the nation is meeting the NNBP’s target of 70% broadband by 2025. We anticipate an even further spread of services through the services of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs),” he said.
He said the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, (NDEPS) 2020 – 2030, which is aimed at fast-tracking Nigeria’s digital economic development, with the attendant aspiration to empower Nigerians with the right technology skills, service and infrastructure, is mainly driven by the NCC.
The EVC stated that the current deployment of 5G infrastructure by the three licensees, is adding to the measurable steps being taken to support enterprises across the country, noting that this is in addition to the provision of the Starlink Satellite Infrastructure (SpaceX), which has nationwide coverage.
“5G is part of these innovations, promising fast speeds, low latency, and high levels of reliability and connecting multiple wireless features. 5G enables businesses to remove physical connections, stream high-definition video content in real-time, and provide enhanced mobile broadband experiences for consumers,” he said.
Danbatta assured that the NCC has evolved and developed the enabling and predictable environment for the deployment of the necessary infrastructure to support the deployment of infrastructure and services to support today’s enterprise and build tomorrow’s economy.