EKOBITS begins free ICT training for poor persons

EkoBits has revealed plans targeted at improving technology landscape of Nigeria by organising 13 months ICT training.The academy, which is an initiative of the Work in Progress Alliance with presence in countries such as Nigeria, Egypt, and seven other countries, is a free ICT and digital design school with core mandate to improve the lives of youth from underprivileged backgrounds and slums through technology, entrepreneurial, creative and life skills in order to provide more employment opportunities for youth, this project targets the dynamic and fast growing ICT sector
 
The alliance consists of organisations such as Oxfam Novib, Venture Capital for Africa, ButterflyWorks and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). ButterflyWorks; a social and innovations studio in the Netherlands partnered and set up Nairobits in Nairobi, Kenya in 1999 and has since been involved in springing up bits school around the world.
 
In addition to training, EkoBits Academy will also make sure that the graduates are placed on internships to help them improve their ICT and Digital design skills. Speaking on the initiative, partner in the project and founder of Poise Nigeria, Mavis Isibor, said the goals of the program is to transform lives, create entrepreneurs, make the youths to be financially independent in order to drive their own businesses and make a better live for themselves. “I am excited because at the end of the day, I can see the excitement on their faces; they are determined and they are ready to go and am happy that we are able to make a difference.

“This is a right step in the right direction because the beneficiaries are green, malleable, and ready to be trained and modeled into position where they can meet the require standard of the dynamic world.
 
“We are willing to go the extra mile to make their lives better so that they become example in their community and to show the world that it’s not how you started that matters but how you end; how you started is your morning and in the evening there is rejoicing.”
 
He explained that Poise Nigeria has been involved in transforming lives for the past 16 years, stressing that Poise Graduate Finishing Academy has helped over 16,000 unemployed youth become employable, directly connecting hundreds of youth to decent jobs through her employability certification, PSENSE.   
 
Manager of Eko BITS, Innih Ikhide, said, “we all know that ICT is the future of the world and as an ICT digital design academy targeted at youths from less privilege who cannot afford to further their education in line of ICT and with the support of our partners we are able to touch lives.

This is necessary especially for Africa because at this age, the continent does not need to be begin for money; we have talented people and I think we don’t need to be exporting commodities such as Cocoa, Coffee and other product; we need company to come here and process everything.  We felt, Africa should be exporting talents and skills and doing this will go a long way in reducing the rate of unemployment.The academy is located at the Poise Nigeria premises, Jakande roundabout, Lekki Lagos.