FG partners Google to train over 500,000 youths on digital skills

ACCORDING to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Aisha Abubakar, about 500,000 young Nigerians will be participating in a joint federal government and Google Nigeria training programme christened Google Digital Skills acquisition programme which will be held in communities across the federation within 12 months.

This is as the federal government aims at developing the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Nigeria through digital skills knowledge spread.

The minister who made the announcement on Tuesday at the maiden launch of the Google Digital Skills for Africa programme in Sokoto State also raised concerns about the negative uses of the internet by young people and the lack of basic digital skills needed to build businesses in Nigeria.

She said, “Over 50 million Nigerians are connected to the web via mobile devices but they still lack the basic digital skills to accomplish critical tasks of promoting their enterprises.

“But we know that having the requisite skills to start, grow and stay in business is key to developing a sustainable enterprise. Digital skills that can teach one to build an online presence, marketing, hiring the right talent, such as Google My Business are very pertinent to the growth and sustainability of any business.

“This is why this partnership with Google aims to create the right technological platform for Nigerian MSMEs to thrive and prosper by building a web presence through digital innovation.

Speaking about the duration and sustenance of the training programme, she said, “Our collective target for this wave of training is to reach out to 500,000 Nigerians in the next 12 months and to triple that number over the next five years. This will be achieved by working together with parastatals under our Ministry such as SMEDAN, SON, ITF, BOI and others like NITDA and NOTAP.

ALSO READ: I’ll report to IGP’s office by 12 Tuesday, Fani-Kayode reveals

“We projected training 1000 youths over the next three (3) training days, but I am told that we have over 1,600 registered on the portal within just a few days their opening. This makes me very happy that our young people and small business owners are aware of the potential of this opportunity and are seizing the moment.”

According to her, “The Ministry is developing the Virtual MSME One Stop Shop that will connect all MDAs involved in business registration, issuing of licenses/permits, compliance & interventions; for process mapping, optimization & automation.

“This we hope will streamline, aggregate & present business-to-government information & processes across government Ministries, Departments & Agencies (MDAs).

“The provision of workspace with the basic amenities in place such as water, power, roads and facility management services is another embedded in the conversion of six (6) out of the twenty-three (23) Industrial Development Centers (IDCs) into industrial clusters and the creation of 6 Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the six (6) geopolitical zones across Nigeria.”

Held at the Digital Learning Centre of the Usman Dan Fodio University in Sokoto, the launch according to Google Country Director, Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, will provide free courses, tools and in-person digital training to students, educators, job seekers and business operators in the states.

She said that “By engaging directly with the communities, Google is able to identify the specific needs of these communities, support their local growth activities and ensure the impact is felt not just on an individual but also at a community level.”

“The web is at the heart of economic growth and Google has been supporting African businesses and individuals to succeed online,” said Ehimuan-Chiazor.
“In 2016, Google committed to training 1m young Africans on Digital skills in one year. In 2017, that commitment was further extended to 10m Africans in five years.”

“Last year we announced plans to help more people in Africa prepare for jobs of the future through our local community-focused Digital Skills Training programs. Through these grassroots programs, we will be helping local communities in Africa take advantage of our 10M digital skills training initiative to grow and to improve their knowledge of digital tools. The launch of this community-focused trainings is aimed at helping more people in Nigeria acquire the skills they need to leverage online tools for growth and to give them access to better employment and/or the skills to start their own businesses.

”Google’s investment in digital skills will support government’s efforts to enable Nigerians to gain employment by equipping them with the skills needed by today’s online, connected organisations. We have had hundreds of success stories from across Africa and we are looking forward to seeing more from right here in Sokoto and other communities. I believe that a year from now we will have businesses here in Sokoto that will expand globally as a result of this training.”

The Digital Skills for Africa program has also been rolled out to about 100 communities in South Africa and Kenya.