From Esther Akaa, Lafia
Two Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Renaissance Logistics & Supply Limited and Wootlab Foundation, in partnership, are to train 10,000 youths on basic and mid-level digital skills across seven states in Nigeria.
The Voice reports that the training which is on graphics design, web design, digital marketing, productivity tools and entrepreneurship is for the selected states of Nasarawa, Kogi, Kaduna, Delta, Bayelsa, Kano and Lagos and would begin in January, 2023.
The Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance Logistics and Supply Limited, Abdulghafar Bala Dirisu, disclosed this on Saturday in an interview with journalists in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
According to him, the training was put together by the organisations to equip the selected youths with the basic knowledge of technology, skills acquisition, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to entrench them to become self-reliant, and employers of labour.
Dirisu, who is also the senatorial candidate of National Rescue Movement (NRM) in Kogi West, in the forthcoming general elections, said the organisations were committed towards youth and women empowerment, particularly on human capital development.
He said the initiative is aimed at complementing the effort of government and other agencies to provide for the youth sources of livelihood, make them employers of labour, useful to themselves and the society.
“Our mission is to empower over 10,000 Nigerian youths with relevant skills that would make them self-reliant, useful to themselves and the society at large.
“Entrepreneurship is the major way out. We are not the most populous country, I don’t think population is our problem. If you look at what is happening in other countries, such as India that are having a population of over a billion people, as well as China today, then you will agree with me that population is not really our problem. Ideas, initiatives and entrepreneurship are our major problems.
“We will continue to promote skills acquisition programmes. The major employers of labour are the small scale entrepreneurs who employ 5, 10 or 15 workers, but cumulatively provide jobs for 60 percent of the total working population,” he said.
Dirisu further stated that he will attract federal government’s projects to his senatorial district, as well as use the legislative process to drive good governance to the people if elected as a senator in 2023.
He explained that his partner, Wootlab Foundation, has successfully implemented several digital skills programmes for a vast network of strategic partners, such as the Digital States Literacy Programme in partnership with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Microsoft.
“Wootlab Foundation is a non profit organisation with emphasis on addressing inequalities for under represented and marginalized children, providing opportunities that foster economic growth and financial freedom through digital literacy interventions, leveraging technology to advance human capital development through basic, intermediate and advanced digital skills,” he said
Other areas of coverage he said include the At-Risk Children Project with the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments, Software Development training, a British Council UK Nigeria Tech Hub (UKNGTH) funded programme, Basecamp Software Development in partnership with GIZ for the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development among others.
He, called on the youths to avail themselves for the training, saying that the registration programme will begin on Monday next week in all seven selected states of the federation.