Less than half (45.1 percent) of selected Nigerian youths between the ages of 15-35 years have knowledge or skills of word processing, according to a recent 2020 National youth survey.
This means that the remaining 55 percent of them who don’t have the knowledge of word processing are yet to understand the relevance of technology in this digital 21st century, making them unemployable in the job market.
Word processing can be described as creating or editing a document using a word processor, such as Microsoft word, Google Docs, or OpenOffice Writer.
“This low level of proficiency in basic computer applications such as Microsoft programs among the youth explains the alarmingly high level of youth unemployment in Nigeria, which is around 42 percent,” Damilola Adewale, a Lagos-based economic analyst said.
Adewale also added that youths who don’t know how to use basic technology might suffer whenever they enter the job market due to the fact that almost every job across various sectors from banking to oil & gas needs a decent level of computer literacy.
The report, a collaborative effort between the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (FMYSD) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) highlights that a nation where the growth of information technology is powered by young and industrious youths would someday lead the development of the continent.
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A breakdown of the report showed that out of a total of 23.4 million people surveyed, 21.8 million can browse the internet. By using that same total number of 23.4 million people for each category of computer literacy, 9.7 million said they have skills in word processing, followed by 3.6 million, 2.7 million and 1.3 million who have skills in graphics and design, specialized software packages and certified IT, professionals, respectively.
From the data above, only 1.3 million youths who are certified IT professionals have specialized skills in areas like Artificial Intelligence(AL), database administration, graphics & design, multimedia, networking, software engineering and web design & management.
This is worrisome because most of the skills mentioned are the Jobs of the future which have been elevated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“There is a gap between people who have the required skills set to fit into the work of the future now because a whole lot of them don’t have the required skills. So the question is to encourage more people to start owning skills in that space,” Yemi Orimolade, founder, Tellit.NG, a strategic communication technology-driven organization said.
Also, Elijah Bello, a tech expert noted that the current realities in the industry show that the country is not ready for the future of work. “Companies like Andela are short of professionals. They had to resort to free training to equip people with skills that they needed.”
A report by International Finance Corporation (IFC) highlights the existence of a skills gap, outdated curriculum in engineering programs and lack of opportunities for students to apply skills learned in the classroom in most African countries including Nigeria.
The country also lags behind much of the world, in terms of technology advancement, innovation, investment and digital skills. According to the 2021 global innovation ranking, the country dropped seven places to rank 118st out of 132 countries.
“Generally the level, quality and skill components in our education system is very low,” Muda Yusuf, former director-general, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said.
Over the past few years, budgetary allocation to education has not been more than seven percent of its total budget. It is no wonder that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said the country has the highest out of school children in the world.
And Nigeria’s performance in human capital development has not been impressive. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the country dropped three positions, ranking 161 in 2019 from 158 in 2018 among 189 countries in Human Development.
In order to tackle the skills gap, Adewale advised that there should be an incorporation of practical computer classes in the school curriculum for primary and secondary school students and investment in public schools to equip those schools with modern facilities for learning
“Firms in the development space might need to establish more training centers to tutor interested folks in computer stuff like data analytics, coding, programming, which are relevant for the future of work,” He also added.
