CITAD at the end of a one-day forum on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as tools for your empowerment and poverty eradication held in Jigawa State, northern part of the country, said that the Technical committee for the review of J-SEEDS should provide realistic targets and appropriate strategies for mainstreaming ICTs as tools that could be used to achieve the overall development goals of the state.
A communiqué signed by the duo of the Executive Director of CITAD, Mr. Y.Z. Ya’u and chairman, Gagarawa Coalition, Alhaji Mustapha Kore, said the objective of the forum was to deliberate on how ICTs could be used to address youth unemployment and fight poverty, even as it featured presentations and demonstrations of ICTs toward achieving this desire.
Participants noted that there was much Information Technology (IT) infrastructure and resources in the state that are currently suffering from under-utilization.
Specifically, the forum noted that there are computer-training centres in each of the 27 local governments of the state most of which are currently not operational.
The pointed out that in view of the crucial role of ICTs as development tools, and their centrality in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs), participants called on all the local governments to take immediate practical steps to make these centres operational and commence training of people in their domain.
While urging the state government to give adequate support to training of youths through investing in skill acquisition centres, CITAD enjoined participation organisations in the state to initiate youth empowerment programmes in their respective communities.
Equally, participants at the forum called on the Federal Government to review the National IT Policy with a view to promoting accessibility, affordability and availability of ICTs in the country as well as using ICT as tool for poverty eradication and job creation.
In addition, CITAD task youths in the state to avail themselves of the opportunities that ICTs present and use same to empower themselves.
“We call on the National Council for Education to given practical commitment to the decision to include computer education in the new basic education curriculum by ensuring that appropriate syllabus are sent to schools and directives given for the employment of teachers for this,” CITAD maintained.
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