Ict/Telecom
FG To Train 28,800 Youths On ICT
The Ministry Communi
cation Technology is to train 800 youths in each of the 36 states, on Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
The Minister, Mrs Omobola Johnson, gave the assurance last Tuesday in Lagos at a meeting with the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce.
Johnson said that the training, to begin soon, was initiated by the ministry under its Naijacloud programme.
She said that about 28,800 youths nationwide would be trained under the programme.
The Naijacloud initiative was inaugurated in March, 2013, to create jobs in micro work, e-lancing and programming.
“Naijacloud has trained up to 2,000 potential IT professionals in Lagos and Abuja under various platforms.
“After three weeks, they started earning money; now, we are moving to train 800 youths in each of the states. “The number might look small, but it is attracting attention of the western world — Europe, and others. “The U.S. is willing to partner with us. It has asked us to provide 10 per cent of our best hands for further training, where they can be equipped to earn up to $40 to $50 per day,” she said.
Johnson reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to providing enabling environment for operations of IT professionals by encouraging patronage of local products and building local applications.
More than any other sector, the ICT has provided millions of jobs to Nigerian youths.
“E-commerce has provided many jobs; examples are Jumia, Konga, Paga. ICT is being used in virtually all the sectors of life and has been creating millions of jobs,” she said.
The President of the chamber, Prince Yemi Adefulu, said that the meeting was to discuss policies and programmes on ICT, and chart the way forward.
Ict/Telecom
Nigeria Set To Host International Conference On Biotechnology
The Director-General of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Prof Abdullahi Mustapha, has disclosed that Nigeria will be hosting International Conference on Biotechnology in June.
Mustapha, who made the disclosure recently in an interview with The Tide’s source in Abuja, said the conference would take place in June, adding that the agency was determined to introduce new things for the benefit of Nigerians.
“That is why we are organising this international conference where people across the globe will showcase what they are doing in their various countries in biotechnology. NABDA will also showcase what we are doing and had been doing to engage all our people in the country”, he said.
According to him, the conference would offer a platform where industries, private organisations, universities and others would have the opportunity to showcase their works.
The Director-General said the conference would be tailored around environment, industry, agriculture, genomics and bioinformatics as well as health.
Mustapha disclosed that he had inaugurated a committee toward organising the conference, adding that it had started work.
“The Nigerian policy on biotechnology was prepared in 2000, and I have seen that its about time to effect a change.
“This is imperative because the world is moving fast from what was regarded as the norm to a certain level of precision and accuracy in terms of investigations and deliverables”, he added.
He continued that Nigeria could meet up with advanced countries’ biotechnology as it could boast of scientists and experts.
“Whatever document we are going to produce is going to look at Nigeria and its projects in the next five to 20 years. This policy is what will drive Nigeria’s biotechnology to success”, he said.
Ict/Telecom
Expert Tasks Female Journalists On Content Creation
A digital media expert, Mr. Chimodo Paul, has charged female journalists in Rivers State to generate good contents in order to carve a niche for themselves in journalism.
He gave the charge at a one-day capacity building workshop held last Thursday, at the NUJ Press Center, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.
The workshop, tagged, “Maximizing New Media Platforms: Upscaling Digital, Entrepreneur Skills of Journalists”, was organised by the Step-up for Women in Journalism Initiative (SWIJ), with support from Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Rivers State Council.
Paul urged the women to upscale their digital skills in order to enable them improve their career prospects and earning potentials.
He expressed dismay that ego had prevented some veteran journalists from upscaling their digital skills, which, he said, had deprived them from reaching their full potentials and becoming visible in the present new media era.
He also urged those stucked in old fashion media to start maximizing the social media tools.
The women was further challenged to invest in themselves by acquiring good digital gadgets, subscribe to online trainings, sponsor their good contents on social media platforms.
“Most journalists do not know how to maximize the new media platforms yet. Ego and pride is not allowing them to learn digital tools. This is the major reason they are where they are and it’s not helping to build and improve professional competence in this new media era”, he said.
He insisted that journalists must identify the social media tools that aligns with their line of job and build presence on it to gain from opportunities that abound from such tools.
“Social media has made it easier for journalists to collaborate on stories with other journalists, photographers, and videographers. Collaborations can help journalists reach a wider audience, tell more complex stories”, he stated.
Ict/Telecom
Expert Wants Telcos To Prioritise Improved QoS
A Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy Advisor, Mr. Jide Awe, has urged telecommunication operators to give priority to improving Quality of Services (QoS).
Awe, who is also the Founder of Jidaw.com, made the appeal in an interview with newsmen in Lagos State, recently.
He said it was necessary to improve the current poor QoS using strategic investment in infrastructure to support current and future needs.
Awe said the future needs included increased number of users and increased traffic volumes of transactions among others.
“Customer journey has evolved significantly over the years, largely influenced by the advancements in telecommunications technology.
“Customers now expect seamless and uninterrupted connectivity across multiple touchpoints, be it through their smartphones, laptops, or Internet of Things (IoT) devices”, he said.
Awe also noted that the telecoms industry was plagued with right-of-way charges, multiple taxation, and insecurity of telecoms infrastructure.
According to him, addressing these challenges is essential for consumer protection to ensure QoS standards are met, and that consumers receive the promised level of service quality.
The policy advisor added that solving the issues would also help in promoting affordable broadband services.
On the role of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) as a regulator, he said the NCC needed to adopt an innovative, supportive, and visionary regulation approach that appreciated the importance of innovation and expansion.
“As new technologies continue to emerge, regulation cannot afford to be static. NCC should inculcate a spirit of innovation and growth in the sector.
“Innovative regulation helps to cultivate an environment that attracts investment to propel sectoral growth. Investor-friendly initiatives, simplification of regulations, strategic and disruptive thinking/approaches are crucial”, he said.
-
News4 days ago
‘God Sent Fubara To Liberate Rivers People’
-
Nation4 days ago
Ebonyi Community Petitions Nwifuru, Police Over Insecurity
-
News2 days ago
US Bans Underaged Children From Having Social Media Accounts
-
News2 days ago
Group Begins Mobilisation For Fubara
-
News7 hours ago
Navy Intercepts 193 Navy Intercepts 193
-
Sports6 hours ago
Arsenal Must Beat City To Shake Off Tag – Rice
-
Business4 days ago
Food Vendors, Others Relocate To New Site At PH Airport
-
News4 days ago
Don’t Let Kanu Die In DSS Custody, Family Begs Tinubu