The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami has charged the girl child to focus on digital skills, digital innovation and digital entrepreneurship than certificates.
Pantami gave this charge in Abuja at the National ICT Girls Empowerment Competition: Final Evaluation and Prize Giving Ceremony with the theme: “ICT Innovation for Inclusion in a Digital Economy”.
The program was to engage the youth as part of a mentorship guide to them to change their perception from being potential job seekers to potential job providers.
Pantami explained that the digital economy was not about obtaining certificates but about digital skills, innovation and entrepreneurship, which has higher priority in this aspect.
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“A situation whereby you obtain certificates and have digital skills at the same time should be a priority.
“Certificates are commendable and very important to obtain. It is preferable to have the certificate and get the digital skills at the same time.
“Certificates without skills are really misleading, we have many intellectual giants globally in the digital world, they do not have any strong certificates to present.
“What we are after in the digital circle is to come and demonstrate what you can do. We are after your own output, not papers that can be presented.
“We will be able to change the perception so that they will be part of becoming potential job employers instead of employees and I think that is key to our challenges in Nigeria,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Istifanus Fuktur who spoke earlier, said the programme was part of the ministry’s efforts to raise awareness by empowering and to encourage girls and young women in ICT.
Fuktur, who was represented by the Director of Human Resource Management, El-Baff Mahdi, said that he looked forward to the outcome of the event in creating awareness and discovery of new ways of using ICT.
Professor Suleiman Bogoro, Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) commended Pantami for the inventions in the ministry.
He described the digital economy as a knowledge economy, which was facilitated by digital technology and innovation.
“For us in the tertiary institutions, we are excited to see what the ministry is doing. A lot of inventions have been brought by the Minister, he deserves our commendation and acknowledgement,” he said.
Six schools from both public and private participated in an ICT presentation and Government Secondary School Jakande, Lagos State emerged the overall winner of the competition.
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