Last Saturday proved a turning point for our nation’s teeming youths, as Nigerians from different walks of life trooped to Kaduna to witness the launching of a new innovation hub, GreyHobb, founded by Greysoft Technologies to provide IT training programmes. The major reason behind the establishment of the hub is to build capacity of digital enthusiasts and professionals in order to synergise with critical partners towards building a knowledge hub system that can confront the challenges militating against the development of Nigeria. Apart from being a creative innovation hub that helps people to leverage technology for economic empowerment, the working spaces with trees, cafeteria, gazebos and the deployments of a dedicated internet service that is solar-powered attract people to the centre.
As a co-working and creation innovation hub, GreyHobb leverages technology to provide access to digital opportunities, with the hub becoming a melting pot for innovative minds committed to providing digital solutions to societal problems.
The Bishop of the Sokoto Catholic Diocese and Founder of the Kukah Centre, Most Rev Matthew Hassan Kukah, and some officials of the Kaduna State Government, among others, were on ground to witness the formal launch of the IT innovation Centre engaged in training Nigerians on IT skills. Chairman of Greysoft Technologies and Director General, Nigeria Agribusiness Group, Dr Maigari Manzo, who declared in a press conference a few hours before GreyHobb’s launch, disclosed that both The Kukah Centre and Greysoft Technologies have struck a partnership in broadening IT skills acquisition for Nigerians, especially youths. Signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two organisations, Dr Maigari said his organisation and The Kukah Centre are resolved to promote the acquisition of IT skills for Nigerian youths.
Dr. Maigari, who was former Kaduna State Commissioner for Agriculture and Forestry, further disclosed that Greysoft will, beginning from 2022, institute an annual award in honour of Bishop Kukah on the ‘Nigeria’s Most Impactful Youth In ICT’.
According to Maigari: “This award is in honour of our global erudite scholar and ecclesiastical Father in the person of Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah whose vision for IT skills for Nigerians, especially our youths, is not only profound but also inspiring. We have set aside the sum of N10 million to commence this year, 2022. The essence of the prize is to inspire our youths to embrace digital skills in resolving challenges confronting our nation”, Dr Maigari said.
On his part, the Director of The Kukah Centre, Fr Atta Barkindo, reiterated the commitment of the Centre in tackling problems associated with poverty. Apart from providing digital skills to youths and creating a platform for inter-religious dialogue for peace in various parts of the country, Fr Barkindo said that for the present challenges plaguing Nigerians to be tackled, the need to empower youths with requisite skills to operate in a digital world has become imperative.
Unlike other innovation pivots where provision of equipment for excellence are still unavailable, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Isah Raphael, said “modern workspaces should be as unique as the companies operating within them. That’s why we collaborate, design and deliver spaces that inspire people, culture and business growth”.
Realising that working in an environment that is bereft of infrastructure, especially power supply, poses threat to the creation of inspiring environments for business, GreyHobb’s conducive setting and delightful ambiance for creative efforts can be crucial determinants in broadening and equipping our youths with digital knowledge to rule the world.
Located in Kaduna, the former capital of the defunct Northern Region, GreyHobb, according to the CEO, strives to create a sense of togetherness and ensure that people feel welcome and comfortable.
Greysoft Technologies is not only involved in training programmes and certification for IT certificates in collaboration with global IT partners of repute, the teaching packages of the digital firm are sundry and unique at the same time. Greysoft’s involvement with tertiary institutions like polytechnics and colleges of education in the IT training programmes, among others, places the IT firm on a high pedestal of performance and recognition from the basic to the tertiary level. It is also involved in teaching basic digital literacy knowledge, including other new technologies trending in the digital world.
Designed with an inspiring ambiance such as huts for folks who like natural air and open spaces, the friendly environment, with many trees, provides clean and healthy air to breathe. The digital economy is not left behind as the crypto trading community at GreyHobb are always busy to increase the riches of their members. As an innovative creative Centre, the hub also serves as an effective platform for promoting digital knowledge, made possible by the green flora and the neatness of the hub. The Centre, for now, is said to provide the fastest internet service in the State and is also an approved Certiport Authorised Testing Center (CATC) that is licensed to train and administer exams on IC3 program packages, among other IT programmes.
Greysoft Technologies is not only concerned with the delivery of excellent IT training to their students, the level of aesthetics in the Centre for internal décor is made possible by creative ingenuity to provide relaxation for those who come to the hub. To demonstrate its commitment for the creation of a distinctive working pivot that is fully equipped to broaden IT knowledge, the hub collaborates with Rabitz Studios to create a creative space called ‘GreyCreate’. Some of the achievements of this alliance have resulted in the production of creative contents on events like music, films and cultural partnership. Deriving its exceptionality on the concept of building community through the acquisition of IT skills and working together to find solutions in tackling common problems, GreyHobb promotes cooperation in achieving shared feats in service of community. It is this strong sense of communality that nurtures synergies and add greater values in building a strong and healthy ecosystem and increasing the level of dynamic energy and helping people to feel being a part of something that is far greater and larger than what they are, thereby propelling them to strive for additional successes to move the world forward.
There is no doubt that with an increased level of digital literacy, poverty can be effectively tackled, if not eliminated. Considering the fact that the number of smartphone users in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to hit 500 million in 2022, the acquisition of IT skills has been made easier through equipping youths to access internet services to browse opportunities on freelance platforms for economic empowerment.
Speaking at the event, Bishop Kukah said the relevance of IT skills in this digital word cannot be overemphasised. Warning that no government in the world can employ 10 percent of its country’s population, the Bishop called on youths to make hay while the sun shines in acquiring digital skills for both the present and future.
“Very soon, no one will ask: ‘Who is your father?’ What will attract people to you is your skills and nothing else. Nigerians, especially our youths, must take the plunge now and acquire IT skills to confront the various challenges confronting our nation. There are no two ways about it: Our youths must take up the challenge of acquiring digital skills to survive in the future,” Bishop Kukah declared.
There is no doubt that in a changing world driven by technology, the launching of GreyHobb is a positive pointer that with the right focus, our people can be lifted from the crippling hole of despair and poverty, made worse by faulty policies of both past and present governments.
In our country that is besieged by man-made disasters like terror attacks, kidnappings and poverty, resorting to digital knowledge in resolving these problems and, at the same time, creating opportunities for community empowerment can turn our midnight of piercing grief into a new dawn of stirring hope.
