Why ICT Companies Should Invest In Human Capital Devt

Few information and communications technology (ICT) companies in the country find it worthwhile to spend part of their revenue developing human capital which is helpful for their business survival and staff retention. In fact, just a limited number of them invest in the education of the future generation.

Last week, one of the biggest players in the broadcast sector, MultiChoice Nigeria, the leading pay-television providers, restated its commitment to investof over N500 million into secondary school education in Nigeria through its MultiChoice Resource Centre (MRC) project, a corporate social responsibility initiative covering 201 schools across 21 States.

The MRC, in collaboration with SchoolNet Nigeria, is designed for beneficiary schools to a have access to MultiChoice Education Bouquet with a view of integrating the programmes into their curriculum in order to enhance teaching and learning in the schools.

Last week, during an on-the-spot inspection of the facilities at the beneficiary schools in Ibadan, Oyo State, it was discovered that MultiChoice provides the schools with learning aids including one DsTV decoder, one television set, one DVD player, burglary proof for the equipment, education bouquet, one small generator, one whiteboard, 50 blank video cassettes, one stabiliser and one metal filing cabinet.

Mr. Ademola Thomas Iyanda, Principal of Community Grammar School, Mokola, Ibadan, one of the beneficiary schools, said that the MRC has helped in improving the knowledge base of their students with remarkable results recorded in the sciences. He added that students were happy and ready to learn with visuals accentuating their theoretical studies.

Mr. John Ugbe, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, said that the beneficiary schools have access to the special MultiChoice Education Bouquet. “We have instructional channels such as Discovery, National Geographic, BBC Knowledge, BBC World, History Channel, Animal, Planet and Mindset Channels at no cost to the schools,” he said.

The MRC, which is a challenge to other Nigerian ICT companies, since inception in 2004 has spent over N100 million in the training of teachers alone. It is part of a broad-based community development strategy designed to raise the standard of education in Africa, leveraging on its assets and digital satellite television for growth and development of African communities which other companies should emulate.