The Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), on Monday, commenced the training of about 10,000 workers to build the digital literacy and capacity of the workforce in Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and other tertiary institutions nationwide.

Under its 2025 Advance Digital Empowerment Programme for Tertiary Institutions (ADEPTI), the DBI will train 100 workers each in about 100 tertiary institutions, who have keyed into the annual training programme.

The training took off on Monday at the University of Ilesa, Ilesa, Osun State, with three other centres across the country, which include: the Nigerian Army University, Biu, Borno State; the Rivers State School of Nursing Sciences and Management Technology, Rumueme, Port Harcourt; and the Federal University, Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State.

Fully sponsored by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and implemented by the DBI, the programme is designed to help the staff of tertiary institutions in Nigeria build capacity in the adoption and implementation of ICT tools in teaching and research.

The Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilesa, Prof. Taiwo Olufemi Asaolu, who declared open the training at the University’s center, described the ADEPTI programme as a collaborative initiative underscoring the commitment of the Federal Government and the schools to enhancing technological proficiency among their workers.

He stated that in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, advanced digital skills are crucial for quality teaching, learning, and research in tertiary institutions.

According to him, digital visibility and proficiency significantly impact global and national university rankings, reputation, education delivery, and research outputs.

Prof. Asaolu said: “I am happy to inform you that, at the University of Ilesa, we have invested in digital technologies, equipping our faculties with modern teaching devices and providing campus-wide WiFi internet services. Additionally, we offer regular IT training and workshops to ensure our staff and students can effectively leverage these tools.

“It is noteworthy that the Digital Bridge Institute’s ADEPTI workshop aligns with our vision, focusing on critical areas such as Data Analysis and Visualization, Digital Skills, Cybersecurity, and Emerging Technologies.”

The Vice-Chancellor expressed confidence that the expertise of the resource persons will enhance the participants’ digital skills and inspire innovative approaches to technology integration.

While commending the NCC and the DBI, he encouraged participants to engage actively and capitalize on the opportunity, adding that the knowledge and skills acquired will have far-reaching impacts on their professional lives and the advancement of our university and Nigerian tertiary education.

With the training, he believed that the DBI, NCC, and the varsity communities were together building a digitally empowered academic community capable of meeting 21st-century challenges.

Also speaking, the center coordinator, Prince Soji-Eze Fagbemi, who represented the President/CEO, DBI, David Daser, said the programme was fully funded and sponsored by the NCC and implemented by the DBI, Nigeria’s foremost center of International Communication Technology (ICT) training and telecom education.

He highlighted the objectives and the rules governing the ADEPTI programme and advised the participants to take full advantage of the programme to improve their academic teaching and research outputs.

“I want to encourage participants to give this training the attention and commitment it deserves. As we embark on this transformative learning journey, I want to assure you that the instructors will do their best to deliver the learning content and achieve the expected learning outcomes,” Fagbemi said.

He thanked the NCC for its continued support and sponsorship of the implementation of the ADEPTI programme and commended the management of the universities for showing commitment to capacity development initiatives by requesting the enactment of this programme in this Institute.

Fagbemi expressed the belief that at the end of the five days of training, “we will have significantly improved your (participants’) knowledge base.”