News
FGN-ALAT Skillnovation Program: Shettima said the FG is Committed to Fostering an Inclusive Economy.
FGN-ALAT Skillnovation Program: Shettima said the FG is committed to fostering an inclusive economy.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will keep its promise to develop an inclusive economy in order to boost productivity growth in Nigeria.
According to a press statement issued by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications (Office of the Vice President), Shettima made this declaration during the launch of the FGN-ALAT Skillnovation Programme at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday, September 29, 2023.
The FGN-ALAT Skillnovation Programme, a collaboration between the Federal Government and Wema Bank, aimed at supporting the information technology revolution to enhance productivity growth in Nigeria.
While giving his speech at the event, Shettima described the Skillnovation Programme as a “transformative initiative” that “ushers in a new era of digital empowerment for” Nigerians.
“We are compelled to tread this path by the direction in which the world has headed, a world of disruptive technologies redefined by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“This initiative is a response to the evolution of the modern business environment, an acknowledgement that digital skills have become the cornerstone of economic ease and expansion,” Shettima added.
The Vice President noted that the initiative was one of the many to come, adding that it was a reaffirmation of President Tinubu’s commitment to supporting small businesses across Nigeria.
Details of the FGN-ALAT Skillnovation Programme
Speaking at the launch of the FGN-ALAT Skillnovation Programme, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Wema Bank, Moruf Oseni, said the initiative was aimed at addressing problems youths and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria face in accessing funding, technology, infrastructure, and market.
Oseni said that $50m in funding had already been pledged by investors and that in partnership with state governments, physical hubs will be built to “serve as hotbeds for the kind of ideation and collaboration that will birth destructive innovation’.
The Skillnovation Programme will benefit two million Nigerian youths and one million MSMEs by providing them with global standard training for modern digital skills, software engineering, product design, data analytics and digital marketing.
Phased implementation of the initiative
According to the stakeholders of the FGN-ALAT Skillnovation Programme, there would be state-of-the-art training centres established across the country, beginning with Lagos and Borno states.
Thereafter training centres would be established in Katsina, Anambra, Oyo, and Kano states as part of the first phase of the implementation of the initiative.
In the second phase of the Skillnovation Programme state-of-the-art ICT centres would be built in Delta, Kaduna, Ogun, Bauchi, Kwara, and Ekiti States.
How the Skillnovation initiative will achieve an inclusive economy
Speaking on how the initiative will achieve an inclusive economy, in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Shettima said:
“Nigeria, with its expanding MSME sector of close to 40 million, has the potential to lead business innovation beyond Africa. The Skillnovation Programme, therefore, aims to unlock this immense potential. The initiative is designed to provide the necessary tools and skills for our MSMEs to thrive and compete on the global stage.
“As you have witnessed, ladies and gentlemen, the Skillnovation Programme is not a mere promise; it is a resounding commitment to the Nigerian people.
“It’s in pursuit of this administration’s resolve to empower our youth and MSMEs and to create a more inclusive and prosperous Nigeria. Today, we are translating that commitment into action, and we intend to be your allies in your race to take over the world through your enhanced skills.”
Furthermore, the Vice President assured that “there would be no disadvantaged demographic in accessing this opportunity,” regardless of age, gender, or disability.
