ICT experts task Nigerians on acquisition of digital skills

Nigerians from all walks of life have been urged to acquire various Information Communications Technology (ICT) skills to prepare job-seekers for work and enable employees remain in various work places in the country.

Founder/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Digital Bananas Technology, Keji Giwa, who spoke at an event to mark the social media week in Lagos organised by Digital Bananas, noted that to remain relevant in careers, people need to acquire skills that are in tandem with the digital age and take career risks in evolving technology.

He disclosed that digitisation is driving the world today, noting that by 2030, about eight million jobs would be lost as businesses rely on data, hence urged that it is very important for everyone to work and connect with data.

Tagged: “The freelance economy: Job and the future of job”, the event was the first in series by the ICT firm held as a global event, as well as a platform to empower Nigerians with skills to secure jobs here in Nigeria and outside the country. “The future of work is digitalization, people need to acquire the right skills to be able to get jobs,” he said.

Giwa urged Nigerians to focus on building digital skills to remain employable and qualify for employment, as many more companies are relying on digital skills.The ICT expert, who noted that robots are in the streets, ready to replace human beings, renewable energy is threatening power, which are all indications that digitization is taking over, stressed that it is necessary to do a research and find out how technology will affect jobs and also find ways to improve on that.

Also Director, Movido E&P, Iyabo Okwuraiwe, said that digital technology has changed the way the world works and communicates, hence Nigerians should move into data spectrum to connect socially and make their businesses match those of their global competitors.

Okwuraiwe, who urged the citizens, to irrespective of their disciplines, learn a wide variety of skills – data competence that will place them above their competitors in the workplaces, added that many organizations seek persons with particular ICT skills.

While commending some private schools for being ICT-compliant, she urged the government to ensure that public schools need to key into this, expand on ICT and play more emphasis on ICT skills development, as well as adapt to it, because digital age is ICT.

She noted that the education system in the country, especially in the public schools, should be innovative, and teachers should emphasise more on how children can think out of the box. “Students should be taught to think out of the box, every single lesson should be based on creativity and improving the cognitive skills, improving our understanding of technology, and to build on the soft skills. We are moving to an era where even just the technical is not going to be enough, but understanding of the technical,” she stated.