Shittu Backs NITDA’s Graduates Internship Scheme on Software

Barrister Adebayo Shittu, minister of Communication, has reiterated the need to simulate the creative ability of youths and unleash them for the sustainable economic transformation of the country.

Shittu made the call on Friday at the formal flagging off of the first batch of the 2016 National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)/Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) youth empowerment and job creation training programme in Lagos.

According to the Minister the programme represents a visible demonstration of President Mohammadu Buhari's concern and commitment to youth empowerment, job creation.

He said that it was also an attempt towards developing requisite human capacity in the core areas of information technology for sustainable livelihood and national development.

“This is a well thought out and articulated programme on IT youth empowerment and entrepreneurship targeted towards developing and empowering graduate youth with IT employable skills.

“They will be assisted and monitored for them to become successful entrepreneurs thereby guaranteeing the well-being of the Nigerian youth,'' he said.

The communications Minister added that the service industry contributed about 53per cent to the Gross Domestic Product and as such government needed to develop local competencies, skills to support this section of economic growth.

Shittu said that Information and Communications Technology capacity building was one of the strategic pillars of the ICT Road Map that the ministry of communications and its parastatals was developing.

He said that the strategic pillars of the ICT road map were aimed at developing a smart globally competitive workforce that would become major players in smart digital Nigeria.

He added that the partnership of the ministry of finance and communications was expected to enhance further collaboration among government agencies and stimulate creativity among the participants in the scheme.

Shittu urged the beneficiaries to make the most effective use of opportunities provided through the training and internship to sharpen their skills and target specific section of the economy that would benefit their innovation.

He charged the organisers to put in place a robust monitoring and evaluation platform to ensure the scheme delivers on its objectives with adequate feedback for future improvement.

In his own contribution, the Acting Director General NITDA, Dr Vincent Olatunji, said that the scheme was a major attempt of solving the problem of unemployment and youth empowerment.

“These are promising, ambitious and ready to go at anytime people, if they are not empowered, there will be crisis,'' he said.

Olatunji said that the challenges in the IT sector with the diversification programme of the economy had made it imperative for human capital empowerment.

He employed the beneficiaries of the scheme to be completely diligent and focus on the training so that they can have a future for themselves.

Also Mrs Kemi Adeosun, the Minister of Finance said that the scheme serves as a bridge where graduates could prepare themselves for self employment.

Adeosun who was represented by Mr Dennis Chukwu, Project Director GIS added that 41,451 graduates had already benefited from the scheme since its inception.

She said that the scheme was targeting 600 graduates across the six geopolitical zones of the country of which 100 persons would come from Lagos.

She listed the role of GIS as; making sure graduates are available to be trained, making sure their stipends are paid monthly, have a life and accident insurance scheme.

Others she listed as; having a template for monitoring the performance of the training and others.