Vanessa Phala, the ILO Country Director for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, made this announcement during the World Youth Skills Day event held in Abuja on Friday.

Under the theme “Empowering Youth for a Sustainable Future: Building Skills for Tomorrow,” Phala highlighted the significant role played by the digital economy in shaping Nigeria’s industrial sector and creating numerous opportunities.

Acknowledging Nigeria’s youthful population, Phala emphasized the importance of equipping young people with the necessary skills to thrive in the digital world.

She stated, “Today, we gather to celebrate the remarkable potential of our young people and to emphasize the critical role of skills development in preparing them for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.”

Recognizing the need for investment in Nigeria’s youth, Phala stressed the importance of providing them with the right skills and creating an enabling environment that nurtures their talents.

Highlighting the ILO’s support for the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Phala mentioned the collaborative efforts to develop the Nigerian Youth Development Action Plan, with a focus on entrepreneurship and other key areas.

To fully leverage the potential of the digital era, Phala emphasized the importance of not only providing technological training but also fostering critical thinking, problem-solving, and adaptability skills among young people.

She further pledged the ILO’s commitment to assisting the government in its digital transformation agenda, supporting the creation of over two million jobs in the digital economy.

In his opening address, George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, emphasized the need to harness the potential of young people as catalysts for transformative change, particularly in the green, digital, and creative sectors.

Akume underscored the collaborative efforts aimed at bridging the skills gap and empowering Nigerian youths, highlighting the importance of addressing their challenges and utilizing their potential for significant societal transformation.

The council’s establishment is based on the Nigeria Startup Act, 2022 (NSA, 2022), which was signed into law in December 2022.

The NCDIE which is chaired by the president has 13 other members including the Vice President; Ministers of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Trade and Investment, Communications and Digital Economy, Governor of the central bank, among others.

The council is equally charged with the responsibility of promoting the development of the country’s digital economy and providing a supportive environment for entrepreneurs to thrive.

The Inauguration of the council preceded the Federal Executive Council Meeting on Wednesday.

At the inauguration, President Buhari highlighted the importance of the NCDIE in driving economic growth and job creation as well as plans to consolidate on the gains recorded in the sector under his administration.

The President said he expects that the NCDIE will oversee the implementation of the Nigeria Startup Act, which aims to stimulate the growth of innovative startups and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

This was according to the Chief Executive Officer of Google, Sundar Pichai, during the Google for Africa virtual event on Wednesday.

Pichai said the billion-dollar investment, which will run for five years, is geared towards improving a range of initiatives in Africa and funding startups.

Pichai said, “We’ve made huge strides together over the past decade – but there’s more work to do to make the internet accessible, affordable, and useful for every African.

“Today I’m excited to reaffirm our commitment to the continent through an investment of $1B over five years to support Africa’s digital transformation to cover a range of initiatives from improved connectivity to investment in startups.”

Managing Director for Google in Africa, Nitin Gajria, stated that African developers and startup founders are capable of solving Africa’s biggest problems, hence the need for investment.

Gajria said, “I am so inspired by the innovative African tech startup scene. In the last year, we have seen more investment rounds into tech startups than ever before.

“I am of the firm belief that no one is better placed to solve Africa’s biggest problems than Africa’s young developers and startup founders. We look forward to deepening our partnership with, and support for, Africa’s innovators and entrepreneurs.”

The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo, disclosed this on Thursday, while speaking at the first virtual Bar-Bench Forum 2021.

The Commissioner noted that the coronavirus pandemic affected the digitalisation of the courts as proposed in 2020, but it would be achieved in October 2021.

He disclosed that the government has put plans in place to digitise 10 selected courtrooms at the first stage in the year.

He added that the courtrooms would be equipped with the latest technology to assist the judges and counsels during court proceedings.

“The digitalisation will ensure speedy dispensation of justice to the citizens of the state; the interest of Lagos State citizens is paramount,” Onigbanjo was quoted as saying in a statement by Kayode Oyekanmi, the spokesman for the state’s Ministry of Justice.

He was hopeful that the digital reform would eradicate all forms of paperwork and also make the Lagos courtrooms first-class in Africa.

The Senate and House of Reps Committees made this observation when they visited a federal government agency, Galaxy Backbone on Thursday.

The lawmakers were at the agency in exercise of Legislative Oversight, a responsibility of the National Assembly which includes to carry out checks on agencies of the federal government on general institutional framework and specific matters.

The National Assembly Committees pointed out that the gains of digital technology were being dampened by rapid evolution of the cybersecurity threat landscape with a global dramatic rise in cybercrime.

“Nigeria is still lagging behind in digital sophistication, digital security and knowhow which are critical to the development agenda,” they said.

Members of the NASS Committees, however, called for appropriate modalities to be put in place to secure cyberspace and reap from all its numerous benefits.

“As the agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria responsible for internet service provision and protection for MDAs, Galaxy Backbone has before it, the big task of ensuring that Nigeria is up to date with the rest of the world in the cyber technology domain,” Oseni said.

“As partners, we are leaving no stone unturned in pursuit of accelerated economic development through the digital space

“Accordingly, we assure you all of our support. We implore all of you to have your hands on deck to promote this course.

“Having gone round the building my colleagues, there is more to be done here for Galaxy Backbone to work effectively from what we’ve seen today. I think working together with members of the National Assembly, the MD will bring out a good plan for Galaxy Backbone to achieve its goals. In every organisation legislation is power.

“It is the key that drives the effectiveness of every organisation. When there’s policy…effective police put in place. And I believe everyone will do their best.

“And as such, I call that remaining parts of this data centre be completed and well equipped. And data recovery centres have to be built in all geopolitical zones of the federation.

“We’ll put heads together to see how we can make Galaxy Backbone the best not just in Nigeria but in Africa,” the Committees said.