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”.