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‘Emerging technologies will transform Africa, Nigeria’

By Uzoma Nzeagwu, Awka
20 July 2017   |   4:02 am
Mrs Harry stated this at the award ceremony for 3D AfricaHackforGood 2017, organised by YTF, in conjunction with the Chukwuemeka Odemegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Uli Anambra State, held at the Uli campus of the University last weekend.

Mrs Harry stated this at the award ceremony for 3D AfricaHackforGood 2017, organised by YTF, in conjunction with the Chukwuemeka Odemegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Uli Anambra State, held at the Uli campus of the University last weekend.

The President and Chief Executive Officer, Youth for Technology Foundation (YTF), Mrs Njedika Harry, has said that emerging technologies can transform Africa, particularly Nigeria from one dependent on aid to one where innovation and world class products are created.

Mrs Harry stated this at the award ceremony for 3D AfricaHackforGood 2017, organised by YTF, in conjunction with the Chukwuemeka Odemegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Uli Anambra State, held at the Uli campus of the University last weekend.

She said the event brought together 28 young developers, makers, and designers from across the country from July 13 to 15, to present their innovative ideas that will drive technological development in the county, as well as afford them the opportunity to create generation hardware solution and connected devices.

According to her, the goal of YTF is to create a generation of technology innovators, creators and seed the technology ecosystem with Nigerian youths for years to come, adding that the vision of 3D Africa is to create engineering/prototype centres in the nation’s university and to equip themselves with skills for tomorrow.

She however warned that, “In Africa in particular where 11 million youths enter the job market every year is constituting a threat; without careful policy planning, the continent’s anticipated democratic windfall could turn out to be a ticking time bomb.

“By 2020, over 60 per cent of the new jobs created will require skills that less than 20 percent of the workforce possesses. High youth unemployment is perhaps the biggest social issue facing Africa today.”

This could be due to a lack of or under education, a lack of appropriate skills, or a mismatch between the skills that the workforce has and the skills that it needs”.

Mrs Harry expressed satisfaction with the performance of the students, who according to her came from different backgrounds and did not know each other prior to July 15, but worked as a team to uncover innovations they never knew they had within them.

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