The administrator, Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Dr.
Ikechukwu Adinde, has tasked African leaders and governments to launch an
aggressive intervention in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
sector by investing in digital skills to stimulate
economic growth and youth employment, reports ITREALMS.
Speaking at the recently-ended InternationalTelecommunication Union (ITU) and the Digital Bridge Institute jointly organised Regional
Human Capacity Building three-day workshop in Abuja, with the theme:
“Strengthening Capacity on Internet Governance in Africa” he said digital
literacy in the 21st century has become as important as the ability to read and
write was in the 19th century.
``Indeed, policy makers and governments in Africa ought to
launch aggressive intervention into the ICT industry by investing in skills
development to stimulate economic growth and tame the rising tide of
youth joblessness and associated insecurity in the region,” Adinde said.
He lauded the ITU for establishing training
centres but regretted that “only a few of our youths have the wherewithal to
enrol for some of the human capacity training opportunities provided by the ITU
centres of excellence and other tertiary institutions.
``This makes the case for intervention even more
imperative,’’ he said.
According to the DBI boss, there is a convincing argument
that if Africa wants to transform and become a global player, it must transform
its human capital.
Adinde said Africa must open access to quality education and
training for the young population by deliberately creating funds that will
increase access to acquisition of digital skills.
He cited the example of the Smart Africa Scholarship Fund
launched during the Transform Africa Summit 2015, which hosted over 2,500
delegates from 81 countries.
``The Fund aims to provide financial support to our youths
who are seeking post-graduate and certification- level training at the
continent’s best ICT centres of excellence.
``I am a keen advocate of the digital skills
initiative by the ITU Centres of Excellence Network for Africa which recommends
the reservation of a certain percentage of the Universal Service Fund for
‘universal access to digital education’, he said.
According to him, the ITU Centres of Excellence in Africa
strongly canvassed this position in 2016 at the Capacity Building Symposium in
Nairobi, Kenya.`
"It is time that we make a bold decision in this direction
to provide funding access for the much talked about digital skills literacy by
earmarking a proportion of Universal Service Fund (USF) for digital
skills literacy.
"This resonates strongly against the backdrop of indications
that surplus balance exist in USFs across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
"A GSMA report in 2014 on the utilization of USFs revealed
that over half of the inactive funds (with undisbursed/surplus balances) within
the 69 countries studies are based in SSA.
"The report went further to state that, “if it is not possible
to disband the majority of the funds and return the monies collected, then
these USFs will require significant reform and restructuring
in order to be transformed into functional and effective investment
support vehicles for unserved and undeserved areas in SSA,” he said.
One of such reforms should be to invest the funds in
digital literacy. Adinde said as the ITU workshop in
Abuja provided another opportunity to focus discussions on the future of skills
and knowledge.
"As we seek to change the African landscape in this era of
connected economy, we must take strategic decisions that are implementable
within the shortest possible time because of the changing terrain,” he said.
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