There is urgent need to improve digital skills across the country in order to build the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), experts in technology have advised.
The experts said by leveraging digital connectivity, providing high-quality tech education, and fostering a supportive community, this new initiative will undoubtedly open up job market opportunities not only for the local population but also on a global scale.
Speaking at the inauguration of a tech incubation hub in the nation’s capital Abuja, experts said over four million jobs remain available for citizens with special tech skills.
The Country Director of GoMyCode, Babatunde Olaifa, said: “We are thrilled with the Nigerian Government’s visionary mission to address youth unemployment through skills development. At GoMyCode, we firmly believe that by investing in tech education, this plays a critical role in shaping the future workforce.”
Olaifa added that: “We are inaugurating our space in Abuja. It is about how to create jobs and values that would contribute to GDP growth, not just in Nigeria but across Africa continent.”
He said: “We have network of schools, four in Lagos, one in Abuja. We train people in digital skills, people that want to transit into the tech space, our mission as a company is to accelerate Africa transition to digital economy.”
He disclosed that GoMyCode has an impressive track record of empowering 20,000 students across various disciplines, equipping them with the necessary skills to excel in the digital landscape in nine countries namely; Tunisia, Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Jordan, Côte d’Ivoire and Egypt, noting that the company is on a revolutionary mission to democratise education by empowering individuals with the skills needed to thrive in the current digital age, insisting that with a formidable extensive network of hackerspaces; GoMyCode currently has five physical spaces in Nigeria; Yaba, Ikeja, Festac, Lekki; in Lagos with Abuja being the latest of its accomplishments.
He said the move into Abuja aims to further address the pressing issue of unemployment, both locally and globally, by leveraging digital connectivity and empowering individuals, particularly women and children, stating that with its innovative approach, GoMyCode’s initiative holds great promise in transforming the job market and enhancing economic development in Nigeria.
He said this is coming at the best of times when Nigerian Government is embarking on a visionary plan to provide ample employment opportunities for over one million Nigerian youth, disclosing that GoMyCode seeks to play a significant role by training young individuals to become skilled professionals and invaluable assets to society through digital connectivity.
The keynote speaker at the inauguration, Mr. Inyene Ibanga, the Lead, Corporate and Communications officer of the Office for National Digital Innovation (ONDI) who represented the Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Mr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said: “By training and empowering the Nigerian youth, we will be enabling them to turn their potential into reality, while further bolstering economic growth, and fostering a culture of innovation.”
While emphasising the importance of Hackerspaces to improve the economy of Nigeria, he lauded the team’s approach for opening physical spaces where individuals from diverse backgrounds can have access to information and facilitators, he said: “This brings to the mind several crucial factors as to why the Abuja launch was important.
He noted that: “Firstly, technology over the years has become an integral part of every industry on and offline, and those equipped with digital skills are more likely to find employment opportunities than those without. By offering a dedicated space for learning and upskilling, GoMyCode will be bridging the existing skill gap by providing individuals with the expertise needed to thrive in the digital era. Secondly, the hackerspace serves as a community for aspiring tech professionals, entrepreneurs, and freelancers, offering them an environment conducive to collaboration, innovation, and networking. This sense of community propels knowledge sharing, industry partnerships, and the creation of new job opportunities.”
He noted that going by historical facts, the emergency of technology has opened up a lot of opportunities across all sectors of human endeavours. He said: “This gives me the believe that tech would create a lot of employment opportunities.
“Let take for instance every sector where tech has been applied, you would agree with me that new jobs were created in such sectors.
“The fear that tech might take away most of the jobs for me seems unfounded because like every human endeavours, you are bound to have gains and losses. But if we take into consideration the advantages that tech bring into human endeavour you would agree with me that tech would further open up the environment, system and opportunities because newer jobs would be created whereby older jobs would have fallen by the way side. The challenge for everyone of us is to learn the new skills, and if we do that we would be able to adapt to the new jobs that technology would create.”
GoMyCode, is a renowned technology education platform, founded in the Netherlands by Yahya Bouhlel a Tunisian citizen and his brother Amine Bouhlel, GoMyCode strives to enhance not just the digital skills of an adult but encourage and groom the innate knowledge of children who are technically motivated to create and grow as valuable members of society.
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
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