The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) says it plans to reposition Nigeria’s technology ecosystem to emerge as a global digital talent powerhouse.

The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi CCIE, said this on Wednesday at a media parley with the theme “Exceptional Media Relations, Strengthening Bonds Beyond Headlines” in Abuja.

The media parley aimed to discuss NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (2024-2027).

Inuwa said the roadmap was designed in line with President Bola Tinubu’s eight priority areas targeted at diversifying the nation’s economy.

He added that the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy also rolled out five strategic objectives to achieve development in the IT sector.

The NITDA boss said the agency crafted the eight pillars of the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan as a comprehensive document that reflected its commitment to uplifting Nigeria to a premier status in the global digital economy.

He said this would be done by harnessing the potential of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Inuwa said the agency had also developed the National Digital Literacy Framework in line with the first pillar, which was aimed at fostering digital literacy and cultivating talents.

According to him, the framework has an ambitious target of achieving 95 per cent digital literacy by 2030, and that can make us surpass India in technology, among other initiatives.

“We are working with the Ministry of Education to review the curriculum across the formal education, from nursery to university so that we can infuse digital literacy in our formal education.

“By doing that, we can empower Nigerians to have digital skills before graduating.

“We are also conceptualising other initiatives which include the Digital Literacy for All Initiative which will be unveiled soon,” the Director-General said.

He added that the initiative would ensure Nigerians were educated on IT outside the formal education and have access to quality digital content.

The Director-General said that apart from digital literacy, the agency was working to ensure digital sovereignty and develop all digital innovation in the country.

He recalled that India started brain export about 20 years ago, adding that “presently, almost 25 per cent of sea level executives in big technology companies are Indians and they have dominated the global technology ecosystem.

“Nigeria can do the same because we have an even more competitive advantage than India. We have the population, better accent, better time zone and if we position ourselves, we can beat India in technology.”

The NITDA boss added that the agency had a mid-term target of achieving 70 per cent digital literacy by 2027.

He said that the strategic plan intended to position Nigeria as a digitally inclined nation in line with the “Renewed Hope Agenda” of the present administration.

Truecaller appoints Ogochukwu Onwuzurike as Country Manager in Nigeria

A global communications platform, Truecaller, has appointed Ogochukwu Onwuzurike as Country Manager in Nigeria.

Onwuzurike’s appointment was disclosed in a statement on Friday in Lagos State.

According to the statement, Onwuzurike would be responsible for leading the company’s go-to-market function and managing the end-to-end operations of Truecaller’s expansion in Nigeria.

The organisation added that Onwuzurike would be saddled with the responsibility of negotiating and collaborating with vendors, service providers and local businesses, with the ultimate goal of making Truecaller a household name in Nigeria.

“The appointee has over a decade of prior experience across verticals such as banking, payments, fintech and SaaS, with GlaxoSmithKline, Philip Morris International, Interswitch and MetaMap,” the statement read.

It said that she has a degree in Communications from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Post Graduate Diploma in Digital Business from Emeritus Institute of Management.

The newly appointed Country Manager, according to the statement, said: “A new generation of companies and tools are changing the way we live our lives today.

“On the back of the digital transformation wave across the African continent, there is a need to continue to build the trust, privacy and safety infrastructure. This is what I find fascinating about Truecaller’s mission.

“Creating safe spaces, including digital and communication spaces, is imperative for a prosperous Africa and I am inspired to join Truecaller and other change-makers to build that reality for my continent.”

Nami Zarringhalam, Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer, Truecaller, said that the company would benefit from Onwuzurike’s wealth of experience.

Zarringhalam noted that Truecaller had wanted to add local expertise and regional knowledge in Nigeria, noting that appointing Onwuzurike would enhance those capabilities further.

“We have clear ambitions to further grow the promising African market, by delivering our class-leading caller ID and spam-blocking functionality, as well as cater to the needs of the diverse businesses that operate in the region.

“Truecaller has seen increased growth coming from Africa, Latin America, as well as parts of South-East Asia in 2023.

“During the last quarter, Truecaller surpassed 100 million users outside of India. The ambition, going forward, is to focus on specific markets like Nigeria by recruiting top talent to accelerate the organic growth even further,” Zarringhalam said.

Truecaller appoints Ogochukwu Onwuzurike as Country Manager in Nigeria

APWEN inaugurates AI Girls in Engineering Club

The Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN), on Saturday, in Lagos, inaugurated the Artificial Intelligence Girls in Engineering Club aimed at grooming young experts to drive the nation’s rapid industrialisation process.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 300 undergraduates and young female engineers were inaugurated under the APWEN Lagos Skill Up Initiatives tagged “Skill Development on Industry Trends And Cutting Edge Technologies”.

Speaking at the event, APWEN Lagos Chapter Chairperson, Mrs Atinuke Owolabi, described Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a transformative force helping to reshape industries, solve complex problems and enhance living and livelihoods.

Owolabi said AI was helping humanity to address complex challenges in various sectors, but there had been gender disparity in the field, hence the inauguration of the club to bridge the gap.

She explained that with AI, young engineers would be able to apply their techniques to machines and get things done within a short time.

She said that the selected female engineering students would be taught in many areas of artificial intelligence disciplines in order to be employers of labour rather than looking for jobs.

“Artificial intelligence is a transformative force in today’s world, and it has the potential to reshape entire industries, solve complex problems, and enhance our lives in ways we could have only dreamed of a few years ago.

“It is no exaggeration to say that AI will play a pivotal role in addressing some of the greatest challenges facing humanity, from climate change to healthcare, from transportation to education.

“Yet, for too long, there has been a gender disparity in the field of engineering and AI.

“But today, with the inauguration of this club, we take a decisive step towards changing that narrative. We firmly believe that diversity drives innovation,” she said.

Read Also: NCWD Empowers 80 females on cyber security, Artificial Intelligence

Owolabi said empowerment of young female engineers would provide a level playing field and ensure that innovations to shape Nigeria’s future were driven by inclusive innovations.

She told the young engineers that the world needed their unique perspectives, creativity, and unwavering determination to lead innovations for Nigeria’s development.

“Embrace challenges, seek knowledge, and never be afraid to ask questions. In this club, you will have access to resources, mentors, and a community of like-minded individuals who share your passion.

“Together, we can harness the power of artificial intelligence to create a brighter, more inclusive, and more innovative world,” she said.

On his part, an ICT expert, Mr Haastrup Adesoji, who is also a member of the faculty, said the training would give the students about six months of opportunity to learn different skills.

Adesoji said Nigeria had a lot of talents but there was a vacuum in harnessing technological opportunities, hence the intervention by APWEN to close the gap between academia, industry and government to drive innovations.

Dr Imhade Okokpujie, Senior lecturer/researcher at Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, and Mrs Oluwatosin Essien, a software engineer, said women engineers should take the lead in the mentorship of the younger generation.

This, they noted, would help Nigeria catch up with the rest of the world, to take its pride of place in the fourth industrial revolution for rapid development and a quantum leap of the country’s GDP.

(NAN)

APWEN inaugurates AI Girls in Engineering Club