LASG urges citizens to embrace ICT as tool for self development
Lagos State Government has urged the people of the state to embrace information communication technology (ICT) as a tool to making quicker money and be self reliant thus creating employment opportunities for individual that have the technical know-how despites non availability of white collar jobs.
The State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr Olufemi Odubiyi gave the charge while speaking at the 6th EU-Nigeria Business forum tagged “Youth as an Engine of Broad-Based Economic Transformation” held recently at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, stressing that to further boost youth empowerment on ICT, Lagos State Government has intensified effort towards the training of students of tertiary institutions in areas that include mobile device assembly, repairs and management
According to him, as part of efforts of the present administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to help students to acquire practical knowledge, the State Government encourages students from tertiary institutions to have their internship with various ICT providers across the state.
He said that the State Government is successfully using ICTs in driving governance and other sectors of the economy, such as Education, Employment, Agriculture, Commerce and Industry.
He emphasized that the emerging trend in youth empowerment in Nigeria was entrepreneurship education which includes ICT training, adding that ICT education assumed importance against the background of poverty, widespread unemployment and the need to shift the attention of the youth away from joblessness, redundancy and from being idle.
Odubiyi stated that the role of ICT in the economic transformation cannot not be quantify as it helps to establish an environment that encourages networking of services and application, promoting e-commerce and trade promotion programmes for goods and services; promoting Internet access to exchange and access digital content; establishing e-government; promoting e-education and on-line services; strengthening network security; building and developing e-society and ICT human resources.
The State Commissioner for Science and Technology explained further that ICT can effectively aid international economic integration, improve standard of living standard and improve biodiversity utilization.
Earlier, the Head of European Union delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Ketil Karlsen said there was need to build bridges between Europe and Nigeria stressing that European investors are looking at way in investing in the country to boost the economic.
European investors, he said are not looking at Nigeria economy as a quick win situation but a long and realistic economic so as to have a sustainable economic necessary for both human and infrastructural development.
He added that with the growth in population, 80million jobs opportunities can be created in areas such as agriculture, technology among others.
By Tony Nwakaegho
