The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Communication, Sen. Gilbert Nnaji, has urged youths to leverage on the opportunity provided by ICT to transform their socio-economic fortunes.

Nnaji said this in Enugu during the 1st Enugu Youth Development Summit on ICT organised by the Global Youth Awareness and Development Initiative (GYADI), in partnership with the Senate Committee on Communication and the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC).

The lawmaker, who was also the chairman of the occasion, called on the youth to pursue their academic and business opportunities in the communication sector as the government was poised to transit quickly to a knowledge-based economy.

“Software developers, network engineers, computer scientists, technicians, manufacturing and assembling of digital devices will all form part of sustainable jobs that will be created through ICT,” he said.

He said his committee would collaborate with relevant stakeholders in the communication industry to legislate for the accelerated growth of ICT with emphasis on Nigerian youths.

In her keynote address, the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, said that with ICT-driven economy, poverty would be reduced for the youth as they would be employed.

Johnson, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Olufemi Olufeka, said the priority area was to ensure that youths made positive use of ICT to develop their skills.

The guest speaker and Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC, Dr Eugene Juwah, said it was to develop human capacity imperatives that the Digital Bridge Institute was established to serve as a focal point for human capacity building in matters relating to ICT.

Juwah, represented by the commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Mr Tony Ojobo, said that to fast-track youth development in ICT, a digital access programme was set up in strategic secondary schools while advanced digital access programme for tertiary institutions was also set up.

He said that apart from computers and internet connectivity, internet cloud and laptops were also provided for the programmes.

He said the commission would provide broadband infrastructure and facilities in all the nooks and crannies of the country for positive impact on its socio-economic fortunes.

He warned against the negative use of the internet as well as the issue of sale and distribution of pre-registered SIM cards by private telephone operators.

Declaring the summit open, Gov. Sullivan Chime, who was represented by the Commissioner for Transport, Mr Chuka Utazi, commended the organisers for choosing Enugu for the event and pledged the government’s support in actualising an ICT compliant youth in the state.

He urged the participants to utilise the opportunity provided by the event to develop their ICT skills as the government was striving toward a private sector-driven economy.

The summit which has the theme “Refocusing Enugu Youths for Sustainable Development with ICT” was attended by students from selected secondary schools.

The summit is part of Nnaji’s constituency project to mark the 2012 Children’s Day.