In keeping with the National Information Technology Development Agency’s (NITDA) digital literacy campaign, the agency has committed to reaching a 70% digital literacy level by 2025 through creative project delivery methods, ongoing partnerships, and stakeholder engagement, according to NITDA Director General Kashifu Inuwa CCIE.
Inuwa revealed this while hosting guests from the Afre.lib Academy who were visiting the agency’s corporate headquarters in Abuja. The guests were escorted by Mrs. Joice Gomina, the executive director of operations.
In order to secure the DG as a keynote speaker and sponsorship support for their Tech Challenge Winners, the visit was intended to explore NITDA’s cooperation as co-host of the August bootcamps of Afre.lib Academy and the September 2024 Tech and Career Expo with the theme “Tech for Earth.”
“We have three key areas, first is the Formal Education where we are working with the Minister of Education to review curriculum and infuse all these skills in formal education, but we have a lot to do to achieve that in terms of training the teachers, getting the equipment available for them to use and so on,” he stated while speaking from the perspective of digital literacy.
“In addition, we are developing an Edtech platform (a learning management system) that will allow individuals to learn at their own pace as part of our Digital Literacy for All initiative, which is aimed at those who receive informal education outside of the formal system. In order to enable those who are unable to read and comprehend English to do so in their native tongues, we are considering translating it into Nigerian.
In order to onboard individuals and simplify the content, we are considering collaborating with the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC), which operates in 774 local government units. to ensure that everyone who views or listens to these materials can learn something from them. Going via the NYSC, in our opinion, will enable us to achieve the desired critical mass.
The formal workforce, which trains individuals for positions in the public and private sectors, is the last option. This is because a workforce that is digitally literate will be more productive at work.
Given that both organizations are committed to promoting IT development and digital literacy, Inuwa gave the Academy the assurance that the Agency would support them wholeheartedly.
“To ensure that your curriculum is in line with the National Digital Literacy Framework (NDLF), we need to review it.”
He also mentioned that NITDA is trying to establish at least one Innovation Hub in each state so that individuals can have a location to work on their proof of concept after they learn it.
In reference to the idea of establishing tech clubs in every school in the nation, he said that both organizations could collaborate.
According to Mrs. Gomina, the ED for Africa, the Academy, which is composed of a group of knowledgeable and committed educators, has observed the difference between young students who are accustomed to using digital devices and their teachers, who are still teaching them with outdated techniques in an ever-changing world.
As per her statement, the Academy is constructing a platform that will provide these kids with guidance and a secure environment to investigate technology while adhering to moral and ethical standards.
“We aim to decrease the mindset of entitlement and enhance the mindset of citizenship, accountability, and demonstrating to them that they can use technology to aid in the development of their country,” she stated.
She thanked the Agency for its willingness to support and collaborate with the Academy, mentioning that some of the Academy’s initiatives include teacher training and summer tech challenges, as well as boot camps for kids.
Children who have received training from the Academy demonstrated a few of the prototypes.
Director General of NITDA Kashifu Inuwa flanked by the Executive Director of Operations and Programmes of Afre.lib Mrs Joice Gomina, members of the NITDA Management team and other representatives of Afre.lib
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