By Busola Bamidele
NITDA Director General, Kashifu Inuwa, has called for a more urgent and coordinated push to equip young Nigerians with digital skills, saying the country’s growing youth population can only become an economic advantage if they are prepared for global competition. He made the remark at the stakeholders consultative forum on the NYSC reform in Abuja.
Inuwa said Nigeria needs a bold shift in its approach to digital capacity building, noting that young people must be trained to participate in emerging digital markets that increasingly shape business growth, innovation and job opportunities.
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He highlighted the collaboration between NITDA and the NYSC as an example of what targeted initiatives can achieve. These include the digital literacy for all programme, the creation of the NYSC digital CDS and the training of more than 12,000 corps members who have gone on to empower over 400,000 Nigerians with basic digital skills.
According to him, NITDA’s innovation challenges, specialised training programmes and startup support opportunities for corps members reflect ongoing efforts to build a skilled workforce that can support small businesses, drive innovation and strengthen Nigeria’s position in the global digital economy.
He added that empowering young Nigerians with relevant digital tools remains essential for supporting SME growth, expanding job creation and ensuring long-term economic competitiveness.
