Yemisi Izuora
The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) through its technology-driven programme, ‘Lagos Innovates’, has in partnership with IBM, and leading wireless infrastructure provider, ATC Nigeria, officially unveiled digital centers in Lagos State to access IBM’s Digital – Nation Africa (D-NA) initiative.
The move aims at actualising the agency’s mandate to build and up-skill the capacity of young people in Lagos State to be globally competitive in digital competences.
As part of the partnership agreement, the LSETF will in connection with local experts and partners build digital capacity for youths in Lagos State through the implementation of the IBM’s Digital – Nation Africa initiative. This initiative will help the youth of Lagos not only gain the key knowledge required for today’s digital world, but also be encouraged to open their minds to innovation and experience designing their first digital solution. This will help ensure that industries and businesses have access to a digitally skilled labour force, and the programme is available to all.
To implement the DN-A programme in Lagos State, LSETF will use ATC Nigeria’s ’Digital Centers’ to ensure more young people can effectively access the programme. Digital Centers are computer-equipped centers that use the uninterrupted power supply and broadband link from ATC Nigeria’s communication tower sites to provide local communities with free education and training in ICT to increase computer literacy and help create digitally empowered societies. LSETF has started to run the DN-A programme through Digital Centers at (1) No. 44 Oredapo Street, off Capital Road, Agege, Lagos State (2) Along Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lakowe, Ibeju-Lekki LGA, Lagos State, and (3) No. 2, Makoko Road, Adekunle, Yaba, Lagos State. In light of this level of preparedness, youths within the age group of 18 to 35 years who are interested in learning new digital skills can now visit the Digital Villages to take the free intensive IBM training for a period of 3 to 16 weeks.
Commenting, the Acting Executive Secretary of the LSETF, Mrs. Teju Abisoye: “We are very pleased to have globally renowned tech corporations working with us to build the capacity of our youths to be digitally competent for today’s fast-evolving, tech-driven solutions. I am particularly pleased with the prospect of building our young workforce for the future of work needed for tomorrow and provided by IBM. It is very important to note that beneficiaries of this initiative will on completion of the programme be eligible for an open badge issued by IBM. This badge is a cross-industry digital recognition of technical skills which can be shared with their social and professional network.
“We at the LSETF are very keen to have this programme executed successfully and to see more young people embrace this rare opportunity to be globally competent in tech and join forces with local innovators to consolidate the place of Lagos State in Africa’s emerging tech market”, Mrs. Abisoye added.