Poor infrastructure, especially in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector is retard the progress of Nigerian digital natives, according to the chief executive officer, Futuresoft-ng.com, Ms Nkemdilim Uwaje.
She made her mind known at the 2011 EduNet Africa which held in Lagos recently in a presentation entitled, “African Youths - Opportunities in the Digital Age.”
Ms Uwaje noted that the lack of adequate infrastructure in the country for youthful development, has rise to a low global competitiveness among the youths, whom she described as digital natives.
Also, she decried the state of the education, saying that poor educational system has not been helpful and has metamorphosed into poor local digital content despite the growing internet access.
Low literacy level in Information Technology, she said has formed a block, just as small scale business is finding it hard to fly due to capital intensity.
However, she pointed out that there are opportunities in the digital age for African youth.
These, she said, include access to millions of people in and out of Africa as well as the world at large.
“Access to free information and resources for self development in addition to research is available,” she said.
Uwaje said that there are job opportunities to work online, adding that with collaboration there are available, business opportunities around the digital age.
She opined that could be access to innovation that may spur business ideas unrelated to the Internet, therefore there is possibility of creating wealth in Africa.
Exposure to different cultures and lifestyles, she said, could be of immense assistance to digital natives, moreso with free training courses online, which in some instance entail come with free Do-It-Yourself (DIY) guides, a culture that has been on the rise in recent times.
While urged Nigerian digital natives to take advantage of Open Source Software, Ms Uwaje, digital opportunities could pave the way for them to engage in global online contests.
Elucidating further, Ms Uwaje said that as part of global challenges facing digital natives, a lot of organizations are yet to come to terms with the thought of working like digital natives.
Therefore, she advocated that employers should take at least, a certification course on basic E-skill to make such a person digital native compliant.Remmy Nweke
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