Investment in Youth ICT Skills Critical for Socio-Economic Devt, says American Firm

L-R:Regional Manager, West Africa Electronic Medicines Compendium (EMC), Rasheed Ola Jimoh; Marketing Manager, Haidi Nosseir; Regional Director, Emerging Africa, Lebanon and Zain Global, Fady Richmany Senator Kayode Ashafa, at Presentation/Donation of Computers and Lab Sets to Iwerekun Community Senior  Secondary School, Lakuwe, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos. PHOTO:SULEIMAN HUSAINI

A critical factor that would create social economic change in Nigeria is investment in ICT development of youths in the country, an America firm, EMC Corporation has observed.

To this end, the company has kick-off projects across the country that would fast-track its dream of using the youth population to drive social economic change in the country.

EMC Corporation is the world’s leading developer and provider of information infrastructure technology and solutions that enable organizations of all sizes to transform the way they compete and create value from their information.

In interview with journalist in Lagos, Regional Director for Emerging Africa, EMC Mr. Fady Richmany, said, “As a leading global IT company, we recognise that the long-term viability of our business depends on educated and prosperous societies from which we can attract the best employees to serve our customers and partners.

As a result, he said  EMC kick-off the “Youth IT Literacy Project” in Lagos  with the provision of  an IT laboratory and computers for  the Iwerekun Community Senior Sec School in the Lakowe area of Ibeju Lekki in Lagos.

According to him, EMC employees in their volunteer programme has offered to install donated computers that would help to improve students’ access to technology noting that EMC is bringing the programme to Nigeria as part of its contribution to driving positive social change in the Nigeria.

He noted that the project in Ibeju Lekki is also part of EMC’s commitment to advancing socio economic empowerment within the global communities in which it operates saying that over the last several years, EMC has launched similar social projects across Africa with the aim of facilitating easy access to information and communication technologies (ICT) and promoting education in under-served communities.

Richmany explained that in 2011, EMC employees in the region volunteered to help renovate a school in Ghana, while in 2010 EMC continued its collaboration with the Zephaniah Owidi Odongo Memorial Foundation (ZOO MF) to support the ZOO MF Rural ICT Project by building several computer labs in Kenyan schools and community centers and while employees donated their used, refurbished computers to furnish them.

The drive force behind these initiatives he noted were based on the EMC recognition of the importance of ICT and education in empowering youth and in driving socio-economic development, stating that EMC is committed to driving real transformation in Nigeria to complement its growing business footprint in the country.

He also said the company views this project as the first of many future community investments focused on ICT enablement in Nigeria.

EMC’s Regional Manager for West Africa, Mr. Rasheed Ola Jimoh, further explained that the donation of computers and construction of an EMC-sponsored computer laboratory is part of the company’s continuing efforts in the region to improve young peoples’ literacy, as well as their access to and use of technology. 

“We hope that the “Youth IT Literacy Project” will be an important catalyst for the development of young Nigerians as ICT skills are essential to their professional advancement and success.

“Young Nigerians starting from secondary school are leveraging social media to connect, communicate, develop and innovate. At EMC, we are pleased to initiate the first of several such projects in Nigeria and we look forward to extending this initiative further in the near future”, he said.

He disclosed that EMC has sign-up with some selected universities in Nigeria to get the best graduating students to be part of the EMC family adding that the company is also partnering government to raise the profile of technology in government.

According to him, EMC is passionate about accelerating the transformation journey of firms by enabling IT departments to store, manage, protect and analyse their most valuable asset, information, in a more agile, trusted and cost-efficient way.

While commending the company, which has been in Africa in the past four years, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, the lawmaker representing the Lagos East Senatorial District in Lagos, said that the “Youth IT Literacy Project” supported by EMC will complement existing facilities for easy and cost effective access to knowledge for youth in the area. 

He said, “We are excited about the future prospects for our youth and view this initiative as a driving force to improve the technology skills desperately needed by our locally-based corporate organizations.  This is local capacity building at its best”.

Technology Firm Partners FG on Green Energy

As part of efforts to tackle the lingering electricity power problem in the country, PNN, a pan-African technology service provider has entered a four-year partnership with the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) to provide renewable energy capacity building within the country.

The company with interest in the development of the communications and power sectors in nine African countries will work with the institute to standardise training quality in Nigeria as part of the Federal Government’s power reform programme.

To deliver under this collaboration, PNN will work with the Renewable Energy Technology Institute (RETI) to develop and deliver programmes that meet international standards.

RETI is expected to work with NAPTIN to consolidate and standardize training across Nigeria for all persons, establishments and institutions that would participate in the country’s growing renewable energy sector; and will award three levels of national certification, which will qualify participants to work anywhere in the power industry, globally.

NAPTIN certification will qualify its recipients to work anywhere in the renewable energy sector, in Nigeria and all over the world. RETI will conduct the training programme in conjunction with NAPTIN staff as well as international partners, who will also deliver training under the institute’s train-the-trainer curriculum.

Speaking at press conference, Engr. Reuben Okeke, the director-general and CEO of NAPTIN, said, “NAPTIN’s choice of PNN was mainly based on PNN’s clear understanding of the requirements for improving standards of training for all personnel in the renewable energy sector, as well as standardizing knowledge across the board, at all levels of participation. 

“PNN, being an accredited partner of the Federal Government’s renewable energy programme, has been chosen to work with us to fast track the important renewable energy training component of our mandate.”

He added, “The need to ensure we provide renewable training capacity will prevent the nation from further plunging her resources into failed renewable energy programmes that are being implemented across the country by various federal and state government MDAs.

“We need to ensure that all staff involved in designing, implementing and maintaining renewable energy installations nationwide not only receive proper training, but also get accredited and certified to prevent this failing.”

Professor Olurinde Lafe confirmed that the NAPTIN/RETI training programme is also a key component of PAWA 774, a private sector development project that aims to provide green energy to each of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas. 

PAWA 774 delivers renewable electricity via a smart-grid, powered by 100KW renewable energy power plants in community clusters. Each of these power plants will make up PAWA 774’s 10MW per LGA target, to be met over the next 5 years. All PAWA 774 employees will be trained in all aspects of renewable energy supply, operations and management, following which they will become NAPTIN-certified to participate in the power sector, anywhere in the world.

RETI will provide training in all areas of renewable energy supply, operations and management, including the installation, operation and maintenance of solar PV, wind, biomass and hydro-power systems.

500 SMEs Grab Online Presence

Google GNBO Training in Lagos

An initiative to strengthen the online presence of 25,000 small Nigerian businesses may just be another breakthrough that will fast-track government efforts of ensuring the growth and development of small business in the private sector of the economy.

The initiative, known as ‘Succeed Online’, which has since commenced with Lagos State, involves the training of 500 business owners on how to better use the internet to reach more customers, and thereby achieve the goals of their businesses.

Speaking with the ICT & BizAfrica  over the weekend on the initiative, which would last until September 2012, Marketing Manager, SME Products, Google Nigeria, Bunmi Banjo disclosed that a major challenge facing online small businesses in Nigeria is lack of focus stressing that they run so many things at the same time and such it is difficult to understand their business.

According to her, using one website for several lines of business does not help for the growth of the several lines of business, noting that at the one visit to a website, the visitor should be able to known what the website is all about.

Banjo stated that the goal of the ‘Succeed Online’ training series is to educate small and medium business owners on crucial tips that would help them boost the impact of their online presence.

She explained that while having a website gives businesses an opportunity to showcase their goods and services, they can further benefit from a comprehensive online presence which include good use of social media, listings, blogs etc.  These tools are available to them at no cost.

She recalled that the “Succeed Online” initiative, which is a part of the Get Nigerian Businesses Online program (GNBO) launched in September 2011 has so far enabled over 25,000 SMEs in Nigeria to build their own websites for free noting that the training for 500 business owners is an educational series by Google to help them understand how to manage a wide range of internet tools that can take their businesses to the next level.

According to her, the GNBO program is a joint initiative by Google and partners such as Ecobank to help SMEs create their first websites and help them make the most of the opportunities offered by the Internet. 

Training session, she said will cover areas such as how to use platforms such as Google Trader to list various products and services for immediate sale; how to use social media and YouTube videos to interact with customers and get valuable feedback for improving their businesses and how to use Google’s ‘Insight for Search’ to improve the content of their websites.

While expressing the dismay over the low level of Nigerian content on the internet, she said part of its Google’s role in the country is to build the online ecosystem of the nation.

She added that Google wants to make the internet to be part of the everyday life of Nigerians stating that participants of the Succeed Online program are current GNBO website owners who have expressed interest in enhancing their online presence. 

Banjo noted that while these sessions are currently offered to GNBO website owners only, there are many tips and tricks on improving websites and building an effective presence on the internet can be found by doing a simple online search.

One of such companies, which the GNBO has helped boost its online is Interiors by Anora, a company devoted to creating beautiful interiors that reflect the client’s personal taste and style.

Nora Azubuike who founded the company in 2004 said, "Getting online for Interiors by Anora has meant that we are now one of the players in the global marketplace.  We now have the internet presence to reach customers both inside and outside Nigeria"

Acican Investments Limited, a wholly owned indigenous private limited liability company that provides a wide range of high quality products and services on Information Technology, Communication, Procurements, Management Consultancy & Allied Services, Internet & Information Marketing, Printing and Publishing has equally benefitted from the GNBO project.

Its chairman of, Chief Aci Blankson, said, "Getting online has really taken my business to a different level.  I now have a virtual office, so whether I'm at my physical location or not, I am always present for my clients when I am online"1