We have trained over 40,000 technology talents in 18 months in Oyo —Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has disclosed that the President Bola Tinubu administration has trained over 40,000 youths in the ‘three million technology talents’ (3MTT) project within the last 18 months. 

The minister said this on Tuesday in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, during the commissioning and handing over of the Onikepo Akande IT community resource centre to Oladipo Alayande School of Science, Oke-Bola, which was organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in collaboration with the Renewed Hope Initiative. 

According to Dr Tijani, the training programme is an economic strategy which is in line with the president’s agenda to harness the country’s youthful population to achieve a trillion dollar economy. 

He said: “In a world where technology drives progress, community hubs of this sort serves as a launchpad for young people to acquire globally relevant digital skills, to build startups and build enterprises, to create solutions for our communities, but also to compete on the global stage as well. It is on this note that President Bola Tinubu has mandated that we invest in training young people in the country today. Nigeria is training three million people in technology and talent, which is the largest you see anywhere in the world. And in the last 18 months, we’ve actually trained over 40,000 in Oyo State.”

He added that, “For those who may not know, over 70 per cent of our people in Nigeria are under the age of 30. The average age in this country is 16.9, and we’re adding five million new people every year. It is why young people is important, and it’s why the president is prioritising investment in young people today. 

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“In a few short years, I’m confident that we will look back and see the businesses borne out of the talent that will be groomed from this centre.”

The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who commissioned the facility, hinted that six states among the geopolitical zones are expected to benefit from the donations of the NITDA ICT resource centres, noting that Oyo State is the third beneficiary, having donated to Bauchi and Kwara States, with that of Benue State to be commissioned soon. 

While hinting that the initiative, which she chairs, has donated some equipments to some digital economy centres across Cross River, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Niger, Oyo and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), she assured that that 10 additional digital economy centres will be ready in Abia, Delta, Edo, Kano, Katsina, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ondo, Yobe and Zamfara states. 

She, therefore, described her donations as apolitical. 

According to her, “The knowledge of ICT serves as a significant tool for empowering communities especially women, enabling them to break traditional barriers and access new opportunities. By equipping themselves with ICT skills, women and girls can enhance their education, participate in the global economy and support their families there.“

The Director-General, NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, in his words, described the centre as one that “presents a powerful commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the digitally inclusive Nigeria, a nation where every citizen, ah, regardless of his social status, gender and affiliation, has access to digital tools and skills for the 21st century.”

While Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, described artificial intelligence and ICT as the future as against dependence on crude oil and other natural resources, his wife, Tamunominini Makinde and Chief Onikepo Akande, equally appreciated Senator Tinubu for donating the centre to the state. 

According to the governor, “My message is quite simple; I have heard people talk about how Nigeria does not have any business with poverty and I have asked them why. Their answers were always that we have natural resources; we have oil and solid minerals. I have always pointed out that natural resources alone cannot bring economic prosperity; there must be entrepreneurship and education.

“There must also be opportunities to grow based on where the world is going. About 50 years ago, if you had coal, you would be considered a rich country, because of the industrial revolution at that time. They were using coal to power railways and all sorts of things; there were coal power plants. But if you have coal today, it is a forgotten wealth literally.

“Today, we have oil but in some years to come, people will also forget oil. For us to create the kind of prosperity that will last, we must definitely look after our people; Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence are the roads to the future and I am glad that under the Renewed Hope Initiative, you have brought this to Oyo State.”