Rural communities in Nigeria will soon become part of the digital innovation in Nigeria as the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced dedication to support and partner with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) working within the range of the Agency’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (2021-2024), among whom Aid for Rural education and Access Initiative (AREAI) features. NITDA, AREAI Joins Forces to Advance Digital Innovation
This dedication was made by Mallam Abdullahi, the Director-General, NITDA, before Prince Gideon Olanrewaju, the Chief Executive Officer of AREAI and some staff of the organization during a courtesy visit to the Abuja headquarters of NITDA this week.
The NITDA Chief stated that the agency recently revealed its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP), explaining that it was created to actualize the targeted plans through implementing the strategic pillars. Speaking further, Mallam Abdullahi said SRAP is premised on seven strategic pillars which he highlighted to include: Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Digital Literacy and Skills, Developmental Regulations, Digital Transformation, Cyber Security, Emerging Technologies, and Promotion of Indigenous Content.
This Assignment and the professionals from Aid for Rural education and Access Initiative (AREAI), he said, is an opportunity for Nigerian youth to place himself as a leader on the basis of Information Communication Technology, digital economy and digital literacy with skills and innovation. He revealed NITDA is very interested in four highlighted areas of partnership which are Digital Literacy and Skills, an area in which Nigeria hopes to have 95% of its population become digital literate by 2030.
He said the NITDA, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, set up a virtual academy and enrolled sixty thousand beneficiary students online. The agency is now upgrading the platform to a standard mass open online programmes platform like Edx and Coursera.
He expressed optimism that related institutions will buy into the idea and begin offering skills and certificate programmes for Nigerian citizens, and even outside the borders of Nigeria. He said NITDA has a lot coming to impact knowledge on rural communities’ dwellers across Nigeria.
NITDA, AREAI Joins Forces to Advance Digital Innovation