Universities Key Stakeholders in Achieving Digital Economy–NITDA Boss

Universities Key Stakeholders in Achieving Digital Economy–NITDA Boss

The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, has said that Nigerian universities are key stakeholders in the nation’s drive to achieve digital economy.

Abdullahi, stated this when he receive a delegation from Yusuf Maitama Sule, North-West University, Kano, in Abuja.

The delegation, led by the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aliyu Musa, was on a courtesy visit to the Agency’s Corporate Headquarters, to seek for the Agency’s intervention in the areas of IT deployment and training.

According to the NITDA boss, the greatest resources needed in achieving a developed country in terms of technology, innovations and entrepreneurship is human capital and universities produce those human capitals.

He emphasized that there is a need for a close collaboration between Higher Institutions, industry and government to enable a smooth flow of information on what is required, so that the students can been trained accordingly.

The NITDA boss asserted that “we drive knowledge based economy and we need your support to develop the sector. The higher institutions are the primary place for anybody coming to the work place as they have to pass through you to get all the knowledge to be in the work place.”

He further explained that “Never before has the need for strong partnership between the industry and the university become more critical as it is today because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Nigeria before rely on some many things from other countries but with the pandemic we have realized that every country need to build its capacity internally.”

Earlier, Prof. Aliyu, noted that the university was at the Agency to seek for collaboration and interventions in terms of virtual learning, IT infrastructure and training with the objective of developing ICT education through the University.

By PRNigeria