Cisco Systems, a leading Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Networking solutions company, is celebrating 20 years of up-skilling millions of young people through its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, the Cisco Networking Academy (NetAcad) in Nigeria.
The NetAcad is an academic platform, designed to inculcate Information Technology (IT) knowledge in members of the society; basically, the youths who are the future of any society.
Speaking at an event organised to highlight the successes of Cisco’s Net Academy, Alfie Hamid, Cisco’s Regional Manager, Corporate Affairs, Sub-Saharan Africa, said; “the world is going digital and Cisco as a leading company in IT and Networking has decided to impact on our environment through digitalisation.”
Hamid said; “Since the inception of NetAcad in 1997, it has recorded much success and has contributed immensely to the growth of the Nigerian society.”
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Speaking further on the success of NetAcad in Nigeria, he said the platform has been in existence since 1997 but was introduced into Nigeria in the year 2000 and has since then produced over 100 students, with 41 per cent of them being female.
Hamid said; it is a pipeline to develop the IT talents in every individual in Nigeria who has an interest in IT, as a way of supporting digitisation in the country.
Also speaking, Olakunle Oloruntimehin, General Manager, Cisco Nigeria Ltd said the Networking Academy is much more than an IT skill training platform. Oloruntimehin said; “it is a community whose members are the students, educators, and business leaders shaping the future.”
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According to Oloruntimehin, the portfolio includes basic mitigation of security threats, introduction to wireless networking concepts and terminology, and performance-based skills among others. The NetAcad offers Certified Network Associate Curriculum (CCNA) as its certification.
“The curriculum can be a gateway to several careers like network support engineers, network technicians, network designer, network engineers and a lot more,” Oloruntimehin added.
Speaking to members of the Press, Alfie Hamid disclosed plans for the non-profit platform, saying that the academy partnering with over 20,000 educators and has over 200 instructors in 167 academies, seven Academy Support Centres (ASCs), and nine Instructor Training Centres (ITCs).
“The program has come to stay and we are proud that Networking Academy has contributed and is still contributing to the growth of the Nigerian economy, he said.
Chetachukwu Umeremadu
