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By Oluwatobi Opusunju and Chinedu James
Technology Training has started for about 300 youths in Bayelsa State as part of Governor Seriake Dickson’s plans to bridge the skill with entrepreneurship gap as well as re-focus the state’s economy outside of crude oil revenue.
Facilitated by the Young Innovators of Nigeria (YIN) and powered by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in collaboration with the Nigeria Computer Society, the training offers a portfolio of digital skill acquisition across the broad spectrum of ICT in software and mobile apps development.
The training is the second phase of Bayelsa ICT eco-system training programme which commenced last month with the launch of the ‘Bayelsa Ignition Week 2018.’
The second phase has partnership drawn from the Nigerian Association of Computer Science Students (NACOSS), ICT Directorate, University of Jos, Network of Incubators and Innovators in Nigeria (NINE), National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Zinox Technologies Limited, Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited, Precise Financial Systems Limited, Google LaunchPad, and Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), among others.
The training targets “fostering the entrenchment of technical skills and technology entrepreneurship in areas such as mobile application development, ICT for environment, ICT for agriculture and other selected areas of craftsmanship,” said a statement issued in Yenagoa jointly bythe Commissioner for Labour, Employment and Productivity, Bayelsa State, Chief Collins Cocodia and the President of YIN, Mr. Andrew Abu.
“This is in continuation of the efforts by Governor Seriake Dickson to diversify the economy, build capacity and create jobs,” said Cocodia.
“Our projection is for 300 persons but to our greatest surprise we got 1,120 youths that registered online. We have a facility to train 300 for a start. We are looking forward to having an ICT policy for the state so we can attract support from the federal government,” added Cocodia,
“We have the mandate to provide intellectual properties, not just to train them but we have to still mentor them, engage them with different opportunities. Looking at this terrain, agricultural tech is also still part of the programme, it’s our pleasure to see that Bayelsans benefit,” said Abu.
YIN’s Director for Business Development and Operation, Mr. Jeffery Udende, commended the Bayelsa state government for investing in young people and choosing ICT as the framework for creating knowledge actors in the new economy the government envisages for Bayelsa.
