DBI targets training of 1000 pros annually

EXECUTIVE Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Ndukwe has said that the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) will be churning out over 1000 students annually from 2009 to meet the ever growing demand of the telecommunications industry in the country.

According to him, DBI will carry out training in other specialized areas such as economic analysis, financial planning, law, arbitration, mediation, interconnection, e-commerce, business management, human resource management and consultancy services.

He pointed out that a milestone was achieved on May 20, 2004 when the president, commissioned the ultra modern DBI building in Utako district of Abuja, established by the NCC, as an international centre for advanced communications studies.

“Its primary aim is to ensure that some of the technical manpower requirements for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector are met with adequately trained and skilled personnel that can be recruited into the fast growing ICT market in Nigeria,” he said.

The NCC boss also revealed that the government Telecommunications Training Schools in Kano and Oshodi-Lagos, have been transferred to the commission by the federal government and they are currently being resuscitated to become campuses of the DBI.

“It is planned that from next year, the expanded DBI will be providing various training programmes for hundreds of graduates annually, to service both local and international ICT market,” he said.

The EVC who was speaking recently at the 9th Distinguished Electrical and Electronics Engineers Annual Lecture (DEEEAL 2008) series in Lagos, also said that the NCC started the Digital Awareness Programme (DAP) as its contribution to the development of ICT knowledge amongst young Nigerians.

He said DAP is aimed at encouraging the appreciation and use of ICT in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions all over the country.

“A total of 119 education institutions have so far been provided with computers and internet facilities at all the locations, the rooms housing the computer labs are refurbished and stand-by power supply provided.

“Furthermore, in collaboration with the DBI, the commission has provided ICT training for the several hundreds of student from the schools that benefited from the DAP,” he said.

Ndukwe also revealed, noting that Advanced Digital Appreciation (ADAPT) introduced by NCC is aimed at bridging the identified ICT skills gap among lecturers in Nigerian universities and equipping them to be able to use ICTs for their work and for embracing web-based teaching and learning.


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