The Federal Government has made it mandatory for students to acquire ICT skills before completing their education. The aim is to address the gap in digital skills between industries and educational institutions.
Sonny Echono, the Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), stated that the government has developed a policy to ensure that higher education students possess digital skills before graduation.
During the 2023 Train the Trainer ICT Capacity Workshop for Beneficiary Institutions in the North Central zone, held in Abuja, Echono emphasized that bridging the digital skills gap would enable the production of globally competitive graduates.
He highlighted the identified needs in various institutions, such as capacity building, internet access, electronic journals, and database subscriptions.
Echono emphasized the significance of digital technology in advancing research within beneficiary institutions and the nation as a whole.
Echono further explained that digital literacy was crucial due to the inadequate number of skilled manpower being produced for Nigeria’s population of 220 million people.
He also highlighted the mismatch between the skills possessed by graduates and the requirements of employers, stressing the need to close this gap.
Echono acknowledged that even the teaching staff, non-teaching staff, management staff, and the majority of the workforce lacked digital skills.
TETFund is committed to bridging this gap and believes that equipping students with digital literacy will enhance their marketability and create opportunities for advanced research.
He concluded by assuring the continuous support of TETFund to sustain this initiative, with the goal of making every institution globally competitive and positioning Nigeria favorably among other nations.