Adebayo calls for capacity building in ICT

Adebayo calls for capacity building in ICT

MINISTER of Communications, Barriste  Adebayo Shittu said the is urgent need to strengthen ICT capacity building in the country, as the demands for ICT products and services grows exponentially.


Adebayo stated this at the inauguration of the implementation of committee on the proposed
ICT University of Nigeria yesterday in Abuja“ The linkage between the academia
and industry as a result of the establishment of the university will not only lead to constant improvement of the curriculum, but also drive innovation through joint research and development programmes.


According to him, “Research and development, human capacity building are key focal areas critical for the full development and harnessing of ICT toward
fast-tracking socio-economic progress in Nigeria. “Research and Development propels innovation while human capacity building helps to equip the people with necessary skills and literacy to innovate and use ICT for further development.’’


Shittu said in the past, researches had been carriedout without recourse to the relevant industries. The minister further noted that the establishment of the ICT University of Nigeria, will not only lead to constant improvement of the curriculum, but also drive
innovation through joint research and development
programmes.


According to him, “The unquantifiable benefits of this revolutionary initiative would be to the greatest advantage of Nigeria in particular, Africa and the
world in general.”


He said that the ICT sector is currently the fastest growing
Nigerian economy., and have made a considerable impact
on all other sectors of the economy “The exponential growth in the sector was heralded by the liberalization of the telecommunications industry alongside technological development
in the industry, supported by sound policy and regulatory
frameworks” “The result of this is an increasingly competitive industry, reduced digital
divide, increased contribution to the GDP as well as an overall positive impact on all sectors
of the nation’s economy. ”he added.


Speaking further, he said the ministry of communications has identified the establishment of an ICT University as one of the ways of moving the ICT industry to the next phase of the nation’s ICT growth, by the enhancement of ICT learning environment, that is geared
towards the stimulation of creative thinking.


Recently, The National Board for Technical Education accredited the Digital Bridge Institute to operate as an Innovation Enterprise Institution, offering specialized Diploma courses in IT.
“The potentials of the DBI are enormous and the benefits to the country unquantifiable. “The Institute, when transformed into the ICT University, will provide fitfor- purpose curricular to cater for University graduates with specialization in various ICT fields and expertise.


“It will create employment opportunities for Nigerians both locally, within the West- African sub-region and even at the international level, aside from several opportunities that would be created for selfemployment” he added. The minister further said the
university will be driven by the ICT industry itself.
“The University would offer varieties of programmes aimed at providing specialist knowledge and expertise required for a professional career in the broad field of Information Communication Technology such as Telecommunications, Internet of Things, Cyber Security, Robotic embedded systems, Computer forensics, digital media and Entertainment technology. Barrister Shittu also noted that the University would also be expected to offer
skills such as development programmes in emerging and transformational technologies; such as Cloud Computing and Big Data.


It is expected that each of the six Campuses of the present DBI would be transformed into a centre of technological excellence in specific areas
of ICT, driven by the ICT industry itself.


The University would offer varieties of programmes aimed at providing specialist knowledge and expertise required for a professional career in the broad field of
Information Communication Technology such as Telecommunications, Internet of Things, Cyber Security, Robotic embedded systems, Computer forensics, digital media and Entertainment technology.

The University would also be expected to offer skills development programmes in emerging and transformational technologies such as Cloud Computing and
Big Data. It is expected that each of the six Campuses of the present DBI would be transformed into a centre of technological excellence in specific areas of ICT.


Responding on behalf of the members the committee, the chairman of the implementation committee Professor Julius Okojie, said technology the has gone
so far, and witnessed new innovations.


He noted that for Nigeria to take it’s rightful place in the current digital economy ,the
youth must engage in ICT The chairman said that members of the implementation committee
were already aware of the challenges of gap in the digital divide and promised that the report would be delivered shortly.


In his goodwill remark, Mr Yusuf Kazauri, the Director-General of Galaxy Backbone, an agency under the ministry, said the establishment of the university would herald a new era in the country’s development. He said that ICT was an important catalyst to attain economic advancement for nations of the world. “In today’s world, without a good knowledge of ICT, it will be impossible to attain the desired height, especially with Nigeria’s youthful population.’’ Members of the committee where drawn from both the private and public sectors and other stakeholders in the industry.


The university will be the first of its kind in Africa but not the first in the world. Some of such institutions around the globe include the Multimedia University of Malaysia; IT University of Gutenberg, Sweden; IT University of Copenhagen,
Denmark. The committee have Former Executive Secretary, NUC, Prof. Julius Okogie as Chairman, has six weeks to produce its report.