With all the resources available in the country, Nigeria has the potential and capacity as well as competitive advantage to become one of the net exporters of digital talents across the world. According to industry analysts, this is possible if the government collaborates with the relevant stakeholders to build and harness the power of digital technology.
In a chat with New Telegraph, the President of the Association of Telecommunications, Information Technology Cable Satellite and Allied Services Employers of Nigeria (ATICEN), Comrade Adede John Williams, who noted that there is a huge digital talent gap across the world, said Nigeria could bridge the gap at least in Africa if the government engages the right stakeholders.
“As a country, we have all it takes to be exporter of digital talents. But it requires the goodwill of the government. We all know the power of the government intervention. I have said it many times, the the minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, and also the NCC need to gather the experts and discuss with them on how to make this real. Without that, we may not get it right.
Though the minister embarked on the training of his target three million youths, he still needs the input of the industry experts; there is need for strong collaboration between the government and the industry experts,” he said. Meanwhile, a government official said the government had set the pace towards building digital talents in Nigeria. As part of effort to build local digital talents in line with its Renewed Hope agenda, the Federal Government launched Three Million Technical Talent (3MTT) as a game-changer for aspiring tech professionals.
Its mission is to cultivate a vast pool of highly skilled tech talent capable of driving economic growth and establishing Nigeria as a leading voice in the global tech scene. The 3MTT programme is designed to equip young Nigerians with the skills needed to thrive in the emerging digital world. It offers comprehensive training in various cutting-edge fields including: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Cybersecurity.
The 3MTT programme is a key part of the government’s plan to make Nigeria a leader in the digital world. By training young people in essential tech skills, the programme aims to create a large pool of talented professionals who can drive the country’s digital economy. The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, said:
The President has mandated our ministry to accelerate the diversification of Nigeria’s economy by enhancing productivity in our critical sectors of the economy through technological innovation and in order to achieve that, the Minister had unveiled a blueprint with five strategic plans which include knowledge, policy, infrastructure, innovation, entrepreneurship and capital as well as trade. “The minister has prioritised nine policies we want to review and implement.
Some of them are Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, building digital public infrastructure, and many more. I believe we are all enthusiastic about these emerging technologies and their powers to create prosperity for our country. He said the government is working tirelessly to create an enabling environment for all parties operate in Nigeria. “It is going to b a win-win situation because globally, we are hunting for talents and in Nigeria we have the talents, we only need to harness the talent to build the industry,” he said.
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