NITDA Sharpens ICT Skills of Creative Kids for Self-Development
The Director General (DG) of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Inuwa, has advised participants of the ‘Creative Kids Online Training Programme’ to improve and sharpen their Information and Technology (IT) skills.
According to him, doing so will tremendously contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.
Mal. Inuwa, meanwhile, has assured all the trainees of the Creative Kids online programme of the agency’s support, to further develop their IT skills.
The DG, who was represented by Dr. Usman Gambo Abdullahi, Director of IT Infrastructure Solutions, spoke at the graduation ceremony of the online training.
He said what the children have learnt and accomplished in their training shows what they can achieve in the nearest future, especially in the field of global ICT.
He explained that there was a need for the children to keep improving on the skills they have learnt, urging them to harness such skills for the socio-economic development of the country.
“We have to ensure that our children learn. Because we cannot afford, as a country, to be left behind in technology,” he said.
Continuing, Inuwa added: “We have highly-talented individuals, especially in the area of information technology. By showing sustained interest in this field, you are not only going to be improving yourself, you can also become problem solvers, inventors, and innovators, who will create job opportunities and equally contribute your quota in realizing a smarter Nigeria.
“The opportunities it offers are limitless. Look at the global impact of Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, as a result of their interest in technology. In Nigeria, we have Mitchell Elegbe, Sim Shagaya, and Tayo Oviosu, to mention a few, who are doing phenomenal things with technology”.
The NITDA Boss, while congratulating the organisers of the training, appreciated 3logy for training the kids to acquire and develop digital literacy skills, especially in emerging technologies.
He said: “The federal government has made a strong policy commitment to making Nigeria a ‘Smart Nigeria’ by the year 2030. And one of the pillars to actualizing that is through the acquisition of “digital literacy and skills”.
“As a nation, it is important that we have a younger generation that is equipped with adequate digital skills, that will enable them compete favorably in today’s digital age.”
Earlier, moderator of the ceremony, Mrs. Rahinat Muhammad, said the children were full of potentials and needed to have memorable experiences in acquiring requisite ICT skills, so as to become the country’s future IT wizards.
Among the children participants were: Aliyu Bashir Gwandu, who won the ‘Most Determined Participant’ award; Amina and Abubakar Maida, received the ‘Most Punctual Participants’ award; while Labeeb Muhammad won the ‘Most Well-Behaved Participant’ award.
In the four-week long training, the children were introduced to robotics, the popular new Python programming for beginners, and some other emerging information technologies.
By PRNigeria
