TECHDIGEST – Microsoft in collaboration with Tech4Dev trained 18,000 Nigerians youth on Digital Skills Innovation.

On the 16th September, 2021, Tech4Dev and Microsoft launched the #Digitalforall Challenge – a free digital skilling initiative and competition designed to drive engagement of young people in the digital economy across Nigeria.

The programme aimed at equipping Nigerian youths with skills to enable equal access to technology-centric decent work and economic opportunities.

It is a sub-program under the Microsoft’s Emerging Market Model Initiative, implemented in Nigeria by Tech4Dev.

READ ALSO : Tech4Dev Partners Fed. Min. Of Youth & Sports To Upskill 36,000 Youths

The #DigitalforAll Challenge was categorized into basic and advanced level skills training delivered over a 4-month learning period, followed by a 1-month (state, regional and national) competition phase.

Through the challenge, 17,000+ youth have successfully been upskilled. Two thousand four hundred ninety (2,490) participants moved on to the competition stage, with the States, Regional, and Grand finale level.

Eighty-seven (87) participants moved on to the Regional Level, and 8 participants moved on to the grand finale.

The 8 participants who moved on to the grand finale were three Basic Level finalists and five advanced-level finalists.

The Finalists were Nelson Didam, Ifeoluwa Odewale, Hassan Masharazu from the basic level, and Folaranmi Adeoye, Justin Nworie, Sanni Zainab, Stephanie Agbo, and Folaranmi Adeoye from the advanced level.

Speaking at the #Digitalforall Grand Finale, Joel Ogunsola, Founder/Director of Development at Tech4Dev, highlighted the objectives of EMMI through the campaign. He said, “The objective of the Emerging Market model through the various programs under it, is to train 36,000 youth over one year through a blended learning approach: online and physical through skill training and youth centers across Nigeria. We are achieving these objectives through multi-year collaboration with Federal Government Ministry of Youth and Sport and state governments.”

Dr. Olufemi Adeluyi, Technical Assistant on Information Technology to the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Pantami, who gave the Keynote address, in his speech commended the work Tech4Dev does, saying, “It is compulsory that we prepare for the future of work, and equipping youths with digital skills is one sure way to do that. So, I want to congratulate Tech4Dev, Microsoft, and everyone that has partnered with this worthy cause. I believe this would be a template for others going forward.”

The panel session on “The role of Digital Literacy in National youth empowerment” had Adaeze Sokan, Country Director Uk-Tech hub, Diran Adegoke, Program Coordinator, Young African Leadership Initiative (US Mission to Nigeria), Idongesit Udoh (pmp), Head Uk Govt. Digital Access Program (Foreign Commonwealth Development Office), and Mr, Shehu Ibrahim, General Manager ICT, Nasarawa State Government.

Olatomiwa Williams, Country Manager Microsoft Nigeria and Ghana, gave an address in her capacity as the head of the funding organization, Microsoft and she recognized the efforts of Tech4dev and participants of the challenge. She also praised Nigerian youths and reiterated that Microsoft was committed to partnerships that help empower people with digital skills, saying, “We believe in the innovations that Nigerian youths create to impact our country and indeed the world, and that’s why digital skilling is important for us. We would continue to lead by example to deepen impact and development for all in markets where we work in by partnering with government, corporate organizations, educational institutions, non-profits, and everyone to ensure success.”

The grand finale event was brought to a close by the Co-founder/Executive Director of Tech4Dev who announced the winners of the #Digitalforall Challenge.

Nelson Didam won the Basic Digital Skills Challenge, while Theresa Sunday, an Engineering student from the University of Lagos, emerged winner of the Advanced Digital Skills Challenge. Both winners went home with 1 million Naira, and 2.5 million Naira, respectively.

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TECH DIGEST – The rate of unemployment in Nigeria has been on an upward trend over the past couple of years.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Nigerian economy suffered another coronavirus-induced setback, as unemployment rate jumped from 27.1% as at Q2’2020 to 33.3% as at Q4’2020.

Correspondingly, the number of unemployed persons rose by 6.4% to 23.2 million as at Q4’2020 from 21.8 million as at Q2’2020.

The current unemployment rate is the highest ever, with unemployment scourge being magnified by COVID-19 crisis.

According to Statista.com, the unemployment rate in Nigeria is estimated to reach 32.5 per cent in 2021. This figure is projected to increase further in 2022.

In alignment with Technology for Social Change and Development initiative (Tech4Dev’s) commitment to create access to decent work, entrepreneurship opportunities and platforms for Africans through digital skills empowerment and advocacy, Tech4Dev has partnered with the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development to upskill 36,000 young Nigerians in digital and technology skills over the next one year through the Emerging Markets Model Initiative (EMMI) powered by Microsoft Philanthropies.

The Emerging Markets Model Initiative (EMMI) is a multi-year private-public-nonprofit partnership necessary to build the capacity of the key government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to offer sustainable, scalable reskilling and employment services aligned to the local labor markets.

The initiative focuses on providing access to digital skills training (from digital literacy to advance training/AI) to young persons living in underserved communities in Nigeria.

The initiative will also work with government agencies to provide access to livelihood opportunities through job placement, entrepreneurship, and freelancing.

It has a strong inclusive strategy to ensure women and ethnic groups are included in the digital economy.

Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony held in the Minister’s Office in Abuja, which had in attendance key focal point Directors in the Ministry, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, expressed his delight over the partnership stating the importance of the partnership towards the administration’s youth empowerment objectives.

“This is a welcome idea as it aligns with this administration’s youth empowerment objectives and in particular, it aligns with the Ministry’s Digital Skill Acquisition, Employability, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership initiative [DEEL], which is aimed at giving the Nigerian Youth an added advantage and a competitive edge in the global workforce,” he said.

In the same vein, speaking on the partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, the Executive Director of Tech4Dev, Diwura Oladepo, said, “As an organization, we are committed to creating access to decent work opportunities and platforms to help provide economic prosperity pathways for financial freedom and economic empowerment for youths across Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

Continuing, the ED, Tech4Dev, said, “We are a proud proponent of the immense power of digital skills training as a tool to achieve this and improve livelihood. We are honored to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development on the EMMI project to provide digital skills and digital job opportunities to the Nigerian youths. This partnership brings us one step closer to reducing the unemployment rate in Nigeria”.

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