Stakeholders gather in Lagos for GetBundi education technology’s digital networking session – The Nation Newspaper

Stakeholders in the tech ecosystem gathered in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, recently for a digital networking event organised by GetBundi Education Technology.

The event with the theme “Indigenising Digital Skills Education: A Pathway to Africa’s development”, deliberated on the best approaches to close Africa’s digital skills gap and unlock the potential of the continent’s youth to participate fully in the evolving digital economy.

The event attracted the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Abdullahi Inuwa, who was represented by Dr Aristotle Onumo; the Minister of Women Affairs, Barr. Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, who was represented; the GetBundi team led by the Founder/CEO, Barr. Osita Oparaugo; the Deputy High Commissioner/Head of Trade, Canadian High Commission Nigeria, Zaya Kuyena Dindembolo, among others.

The NITDA DG underscored the importance of training Nigerian youths in digital skills, informing that the Agency has programmes strategically designed to propel Nigeria towards achieving 70 percent digital literacy by 2027 and training 3 million tech talents by that target year.

“With global economies transforming digitally, there’s a rising demand for a workforce adept in both basic digital literacy and advanced technological skills. This shift presents a critical opportunity for nations, especially Nigeria, to leverage their youthful population and digital growth to establish a competitive edge in the global economy,” he said.

Unveiling the NITDA Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2.0) in a powerpoint presentation, Inuwa said the Agency’s focus is to foster digital literacy and cultivate talents; build a robust technology, research ecosystem; strengthen policy implementation and legal framework; promote inclusive access to digital infrastructure and services; strengthen cybersecurity and enhance digital trust; nurture an innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem, forge strategic partnerships and collaboration, and cultivate a vibrant organisational culture and an agile workforce in NITDA.

The Minister of Women Affairs commended GetBundi for the networking meeting, which she said would help address the gender disparity while building a society in digital skills.

The Deputy High Commissioner/Head of Trade, Canadian High Commission Nigeria, Dindembolo said that digital education means a lot in driving the ecosystem and lauded the efforts of GetBundi towards the digital skills education.

Speaking on the theme of the event, the Founder/CEO of GetBundi Education Technology, Barr. Osita Oparaugo, said digitisation is gaining widespread significance and playing a crucial role in shaping labour markets and contributing to the growth of economies across the globe. 

As such, there is increasing demand for proficiency in digital skills, from basic digital literacy to advanced digital skills necessary to participate in the global division of digital labour, and governments around the world are prioritising digital skills as part of their digital agendas.

“However, in the face of a rapidly evolving digital frontier, the African continent falls short of individuals equipped with digital skills than the rest of the world. 

“In 2022, African countries scored between 1.8 and five on the Digital Skills Gap Index. This is below the global average of six. Also, in a 2023 World Bank report, only 50 percent of countries in Africa have computer skills as part of their school curriculum, compared to 85 percent of countries globally,” Oparaugo said.

Citing experts in the education and ICT sectors, the GetBundi boss said that for young people in Africa to compete with their peers in the global job market, they require early introduction to digital skills which have the potential to give them an advantage as they prepare for the modern workplace.

“This is crucial because the International Finance Corporation noted that there will be about 230 million digital skill job gaps across sub-Saharan Africa by 2030, hence the need to equip African youths with relevant digital skills,” he said.

He said factors such as outdated curricula, lack of proficient teachers, lack of proper education infrastructure, limited awareness, and insufficient training opportunities have continued to fuel digital skills gap in Africa.

On how GetBundi is tackling this digital skills gap in Africa, Oparaugo said one of the major goals of the education technology platform is to empower learners with knowledge, skills and behaviours that will help them to transform their lives and improve the prospects of employment and productivity in employment; skill sets that will help them overcome demographic pressure that push young Africans to pursue opportunities overseas.

He said countries like India and China have leveraged their population and digital technology to boost their economies, noting that there is no reason why Africa with a projected 1 billion people under 35 by 2030, cannot educate at least 20 per cent of its people with various digital skill sets. 

He said if Nigeria, for instance, intentionally educates 10 million youths between now and 2030 and they work for companies overseas and earn just US$2,000 monthly, that would amount to US$2,000 multiplied by 10 million every month.

The GetBundi boss urged governments across Africa to invest in education, especially in STEM for primary and post primary, and digital skill education for the youths to achieve a free and prosperous Africa.

“No matter the sector, mastery of digital skills will in no small measure be a determinant of Africa’s developmental success. But you must consider indigenizing the learning process,” he said.

The Executive Secretary of GetBundi Education Foundation, while introducing TechSis 2024, a GetBundi initiative designed to support women education in digital skills as part of bridging the gender divide in tech across Africa, informed that the programme targets to train 1,000 women in Web Development and Data Analytics, in partnership with Federal Ministry of Women Affairs which is sponsoring 300 women from the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.

She solicited support for the TechSis 2024 initiative which will commence in July to unlock a future where Africans, regardless of their background, have the tools and resources to thrive in the digital economy.

The Course Coordinator for GetBundi Education, Mrs Juliet Ijei, said the platform seeks to transform the educational landscape in Nigeria and Africa and to empower future generations to thrive in an ever-evolving world.