Microsoft Gives $70,000 to BIITC

Microsoft has donated $70,000 (N10 million) to the Bola Ige Information Technology Centre (BIITC) for the third phase of its Unlimited Potential (UP) programme which aims to facilitate information technology (IT) capacity building in Nigeria.
Hajia Jummai Umar-Ajijola, citizen manager for Microsoft Nigeria, said the company has so far contributed USD$220,000 to Nigerian NGOs.
She said the third phase of the UP grant will focus on the youths in Abuja and in the North Central; Ajegunle in Lagos, and widows in the South-East.
“The excellent results of the first two phases of the UP grant have given us the confidence to continue to invest in changing lives across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones. The personal impact stories of the many beneficiaries of the programme prove that given the right skills and opportunities, every individual no matter their wealth or social standing, has potential to contribute positively to their communities,” she stated while commending the NGO partners who demonstrated great commitment to ensure that the under-served in their various areas were reached through the programme.
Manny Emecheta, director of BIITC said the programme has been a tremendous success, and has over 4,000 beneficiaries across the country. According to him: “It has opened up windows of opportunity for the beneficiaries and enabled them to increase their market scope with exposure to a wider community of people engaged or interested in their skills.”
He thanked Microsoft for been a good corporate citizen, and her contribution to Nigeria's effort to bridge the digital divide and attain the status of a Knowledge society by 2015, aligned with the UN’s millennium developmental goals (MDG).
The UP programme is a Microsoft initiative targeted at delivering relevant, accessible and affordable solutions in three interrelated areas that are crucial to developing economic opportunities, transforming education, fostering local innovation and enabling job opportunities.
The programme commenced in Nigeria in 2007 in partnership with BIITC and is poised to empower Nigerians, particularly the under-served, through the acquisition of IT skills to enhance their potential in various walks of life.