MON, 28 SEPT, 2020-theGBJournal-The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami FNCS, FBCS, FIIM today, 28th September, launched the Digital Nigeria Portal and Mobile App. This move is in furtherance of the Digital Nigeria Programme which was kicked off by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, on the 19th of March, 2020 as part of the Federal Government’s key initiatives aimed at empowering innovators and entrepreneurs with the requisite skills to thrive in our emerging digital economy.
The Digital Nigeria programme is a key component of the Digital Literacy and Skills Pillar of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria championed by Dr Pantami.
The Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy in delivering this key mandate, is in partnership with global institutions including the African Development Bank (AFDB), Microsoft, to enable Nigerians acquire cutting edge digital skills within the comfort of their homes. Speaking at the virtual launch, the Honourable Minister reiterated the government’s strategy of promoting skills over paper qualifications. “We are championing a paradigm shift that lays emphasis on skills, in preference to merely having degrees without skills. Degrees are only meant to validate skills. This is a growing trend across the globe. The digital literacy and skills pillar recognises the fact that citizens are the greatest assets in any economy, including the digital economy. It will support the development of a large pool of digitally literate and digitally skilled citizens”.
The “Digital Nigeria” mobile app is available on playstore, enabling Nigerians to enroll in ICT courses within the comfort of their homes. Much of the content was provided through AfDB’s partnership with Microsoft. Students can download certificates after they complete the courses. The portal also allows us to include additional courses from time to time.
Across the globe, there is a growing focus on the need for developing skills, rather than merely acquiring degrees. To this end, Nigerians are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity by enrolling today at https://digitalnigeria.gov.ng; or https://academy.nitda.gov.ng/
The portals will give details on how to register and how to download the relevant Mobile Apps.
The Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy is committed to developing the capacity of Nigerians to use technology to solve problems. We will keep updating the course offerings to reflect global trends. The Digital Nigeria programme will provide a platform to empower Nigerians to develop relevant skills and build innovative solutions to address challenges within our community.
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