The Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa has assured of his commitment to collaborate with Manpower Development Institute on digital literacy training in Jigawa State, In line with its mandate to improve human capital development through the implementation of its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2021- 2024) initiatives.
Kashifu made this disclosure while receiving the Chairman Governing Board, Manpower Development Institute, Muna Inuwa Tahir mni, and his team on a courtesy visit at the NITDA headquarters in Abuja.
The Director-General excitedly said that the move for collaboration between both organizations is very timely, given that workforce development and capacity building are high priorities identified by President Muhammed Buhari, GCFR, which prompt the setting up a committee on how the nation can come out of recession.
“They came up with the economic recovery and growth plan with three objectives firstly to restore the economy, secondly to build a globally qualitative economy, and thirdly to invest in our people, he stated.’’
The NITDA boss further explained that the third plan is focused on workforce development and capacity building. “This means our greatest resources are our manpower and natural resources; he added that this initiative has helped Jigawa state a lot because, in today’s economy, we generate more money from services that are rendered through the human capital, as the nation currently create more revenue from IT sector than oil.”
Acknowledging the impact of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, he confirmed that the workforce is tailored at driving a knowledge-based economy that is majorly on human capital development through the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), and in achieving 95% digital literacy in the next eight years, which is 2030.
Government cannot do it alone; the Federal Government needs collaboration with the state government, NGOs, private organisations and to achieve its target, Kashifu noted.
“Significantly, NITDA has conducted several activities and programs from 2017 till date in Jigawa State like; the National Adopted Village for Smart Agriculture (NAVSA), Training for Women in ICT, the Mobile Phone Repair for Artisans; and in effect, we are already partnering either directly or indirectly with the institute,” he recalled.
He further affirmed that NITDA has been partnering with NGOs in delivering training at a reduced rate in time past and clamoured that this style can be explored in the partnership between both organizations.
While responding to the request for intervention, the DG stated that the Agency would work on it and revert before the end of the year, adding that the team should liaise with the Director IT Infrastructure Solutions of the agency, Dr. Usman Abdullahi Gambo, who noted that discussions on possible areas of benefit for both organizations will be optimized.
Earlier, the Chairman Governing Board for Manpower Development Institute, Muna Inuwa Tahir mni, acknowledged that NITDA had conducted training for government staff across 19 states from 2017 in addition to other activities over the years. He applauded this impact; nevertheless, he is seeking collaboration with NITDA in the provision of ICT gadgets and capacity-building training at the Manpower Development Institute.
He lamented that MDI could not obtain the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) license to function as a CBT center for lack of adequate types of equipment, hence the need to approach NITDA for support
