Ebonyi considers ICT as strategy for capacity building

THE Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) and Ebonyi State Government in collaboration with Global Youths Awareness and Development Initiative (GYADI), a non-governmental organization (NGO), over the weekend trained 1000 youths on use of Information Communications Technology (ICT).

The event, which held at the Akanu Ibiam International Conference Centre, attracted youths from the 13 local government councils of the state.

The subject matter was ‘ICT in Education, the Youth and National Development: the Roles of Nigeria Communication Commission.’ Acting Executive Secretary of the NCC, Pro. Garba Danbatta, said training became necessary because the world has become one global place for ICT.

According to him, ICT plays critical roles in Internet banking, e-learning, e-commerce, e-health, e-agriculture, research and development, emergency management, job application and entertainment.
He said youths constitute the engine of production and consumption in any economy, just as they (youths) make over 58 per cent of the national population. Danbatta described youths as being major stakeholders in the nation’s quest for a rapid social economy, political and technological development.

In his address, President of the GYADI, Prince Ejighionwu Ebei, who described it as ‘first of its kind in the state,’ said it was packaged as a capacity-building programme to encourage ICT literacy and proficiency among Ebonyi youths.

‘’The youths who are the most valuable human resources, the agilest and a critical demographic group of the nation, need to be incorporated in all developmental facets that will trigger sustainable national development,’’ he said.

He noted that the training would create job opportunities for the unemployed youths and improved Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state with an accelerated increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the state.

Special Adviser to Governor David Umahi on ICT, Prince Aja Nwabueze, had disclosed that the state government built partnerships with Federal Government agencies, including the NCC, on ICT.

He explained that the participants were carefully selected from the 13 local councils of the state.