‘Equip Youths With ICT Skills’

A university teacher, Mrs Hikmot Koleoso, on Monday urged the Federal Government to make the youth more employable by increasing  their information and communication technology (ICT) skills.

Koleoso, a lecturer in the Estate Management Department, University of Lagos, told newsmen  that government should take advantage of immense opportunities in ICT to reduce youth unemployment.

“Using ICT to strengthen youth employability should be vigorously pursued, even though it’s not the only route, it should be used as a key tool, because of the growth potential of ICT,” she said.

According to her, talent profile depends on the nature and quality of ICT training and education that the Nigerian youths are exposed to.

“It is my view that a range of incentives and curricular reforms is needed to ensure that young people are suitably trained to acquire jobs in the ICT sector and explore entrepreneurial opportunities,” she said.

She stated that the current mode of ICT education in Nigeria was outdated and needed significant eform.

“This should include the creation of advanced ICT curricular modules to supplement and be integrated into basic ICT courses for youths in schools, youth centres and technology hubs,” she said.

Koleoso said that enhancing ICT skills among the youth would enable more young people to venture into entrepreneurial activities.

She said that unemployment was a major challenge in a developing country like Nigeria where the bulk of the workforce comprised the youth.

“This is a huge development challenge and clearly, a deeper engagement with youths is needed to foster more sustainable future.

“This must start with efforts to equip young people, a demographic force, with marketable ICT skills because of the immense employment and wider economic opportunities ahead,” she said.

According World Bank, barely 15 per cent of the half a trillion-dollar global ICT-enabled services market, which is expected to triple by 2020, has been tapped.

“Developing regions such as Nigeria reap the least rewards from this unprecedented opportunity for economic growth and skilled jobs,” Koleosho said.

She stated that the country’s higher youth and overall unemployment levels should serve as an impetus for creating an enabling environment for ICT innovation and expansion.

“It is a paucity of ICT skills in the country that causes us to lag behind amid rapid growth in the telecoms and services sector,” she said, adding that lack of skilled manpower was a major constraint to realising the potential of the ICT sector.

“Nigeria needs to boost its talent profile so as to benefit from this rapidly increasing market opportunity,” she said.