FG Aims 70% Digital Literacy Level, Targets Farmers

The federal government is targeting 70 percent digital literacy level among Nigerians, with 30 million people to be trained in three years.

This, according to the government, is aimed at improving productivity in some critical sectors of the nation’s economy with focus on the informal sector and those in rural areas.

The position of the government was disclosed yesterday by the director general and chief executive officer of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, at the flag off of a digital literacy programme at Idris Legbo Kutigi international Conference Centre in Minna, the Niger State.

The director general disclosed that rural farmers and small scale traders would be targeted with the view to improving their endeavours in terms enhancing productivity and marketing their products.

He said the initiative was a collaboration between the federal ministry of communications, innovation and digital economy and National Youth Service Corps, adding that digital literacy curriculum would be developed for primary, secondary and tertiary schools as a way of availing the youths the opportunities in digital economy.

Also speaking, the director general, National Youth Service Corps, Brig. Gen. Yusha’u Ahmed, said the initiative would accelerate development, adding that the training NYSC members would make them self reliant.

Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago expressed delight that the state was chosen to host the flag-off and noted that with the new world order on deployment of digital technologies was needed to move with time.