Nigeria Targets 95% Digital Literacy By 2030 As NCC, ITU Deepen Partnership

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said it will leverage the designation of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) as an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Digital Transformation Centre (DTC) to expand digital literacy and skills training for underserved Nigerians.

The Commission said the recognition would strengthen efforts to equip more citizens with the digital competencies required to participate in the country’s growing digital economy, particularly communities with limited access to digital skills development opportunities.

The Director of Research and Development at the NCC, Engr. Babagana Digima, stated this in Abuja while receiving the ITU’s Senior Digital Skills Officer, Ms. Robyn Fysh, who visited the Commission alongside a delegation from DBI.

Digima, who represented the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, described DBI’s designation as an opportunity to deepen collaboration among the three institutions and widen access to digital capacity-building programmes.

He said digital literacy and skills development remained critical to Nigeria’s digital economy ambitions, adding that the Commission would continue to work with government agencies, state governments, development partners and other stakeholders to extend training opportunities across the country.

“The NCC remains committed to initiatives that equip Nigerians with the skills needed to participate meaningfully in the digital economy,” he said, stressing the need to ensure that underserved and vulnerable populations were not excluded from the country’s digital transformation efforts.

The ITU Digital Transformation Centres initiative, launched in partnership with Cisco in 2019, has reached more than 870,000 participants globally, with women accounting for more than half of the beneficiaries, Fysh disclosed.

She said the programme was designed to provide practical digital skills to people in underserved communities, enabling them to improve their employability, develop entrepreneurial capabilities and participate more effectively in the digital economy.

Fysh commended the longstanding collaboration between the ITU and the NCC, noting that DBI’s new status would strengthen efforts to extend relevant digital skills and opportunities to more Nigerians.

The President and Chief Executive Officer of DBI, Mr. David Daser, said the Institute’s recognition reflected the ITU’s confidence in its capacity and the NCC’s support for digital skills development.

Daser disclosed that DBI had become the first institution globally to hold the designations of an ITU Academy Training Centre (ATC) and a Digital Transformation Centre simultaneously.

He, however, emphasised the need for sustained support and investment to extend the benefits of the initiative nationwide, noting that the NCC could leverage its infrastructure, networks and partnerships to expand access to digital skills training and certification, particularly in underserved communities.

Daser said the initiative aligned with Nigeria’s National Digital Literacy Framework, which targets 95 per cent digital literacy by 2030, adding that achieving the goal would require stronger institutional collaboration and sustained investment in skills development.

He added that DBI’s new status would position the Institute to broaden its contribution to developing a digitally skilled workforce for Nigeria and Africa.

Meanwhile, the development comes amid efforts to bridge digital skills gaps and ensure that the expansion of telecommunications infrastructure and digital services translates into wider economic participation.