The Bank of Industry (BOI), African Development Bank (AfDB), and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) have partnered to enhance digital literacy among Nigerian youths.
According to a statement, the collaboration was unveiled at the BOI’s recent Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) stakeholders’ forum in Lagos.
Olasupo Olusi, managing director at BoI explained that activities in the digital and creative sector have continued to increase because of more youth and urbanisation.
“With such recognition, there is a need for us to reposition our focus on ways to improve the activities and output from the digital and creative economic space. Such repositioning involves the introduction of a transformative initiative such as the iDICE program,” he said.
Olusi said the iDICE scheme would support 200 technology and creative startups, and provide financial services to 450 digital technologies to Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria.
Tapera Muzira, coordinator of Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy, AfDB Group said the iDICE initiative by the Federal Government is timely and strategic, explaining that it is transformative as it would build the systems to support more competitive entrepreneurs powered by creativity and digital technologies.
“iDICE program has the potential to generate millions of jobs for young people, stressing that Africa has the youngest population in the world, with more than 400 young people between the age range of 15 and 35 years old,” he added.
Kashifu Abdullahi, director general of NITDA said its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan was aimed at achieving digital literacy in Nigeria by 2027, focusing on Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, and blockchain to help the country grow on the global map of knowledge-driven economies.
