The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC is seeking to expand digital literacy and skills training across Nigeria by leveraging the Digital Bridge Institute’s, DBI designation as an International Telecommunication Union, ITU Digital Transformation Centre.
The Commission said the recognition would strengthen collaboration among the NCC, DBI and ITU in extending digital skills development and inclusion, particularly to underserved and vulnerable communities.
The NCC stated this when the ITU Senior Digital Skills Officer, Ms. Robyn Fysh, paid a courtesy visit to its headquarters in Abuja as part of her official engagement in Nigeria following DBI’s designation as an ITU Digital Transformation Centre.
Representing the NCC Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Aminu Maida, the Director, Research and Development, Engr. Babagana Digima, said digital literacy and capacity development were critical to Nigeria’s digital economy ambitions.
“DBI’s recognition as an ITU Digital Transformation Centre is a significant milestone for Nigeria’s digital skills ecosystem and an opportunity to expand access to digital literacy and capacity-building programmes across the country,” he said.
Digima said the new status would improve access to quality digital skills training and help address digital exclusion while developing globally competitive ICT expertise.
He added that the NCC would continue working with government agencies, state governments, development partners and other stakeholders to expand digital skills training and ensure wider participation in Nigeria’s digital transformation.
Fysh commended the longstanding partnership between the ITU, NCC and DBI, saying the engagement provided an opportunity to exchange ideas and explore areas for deeper collaboration on digital transformation and skills development.
She said the ITU Digital Transformation Centres initiative, launched in partnership with Cisco in 2019, had reached more than 870,000 participants globally, with women accounting for more than half of the beneficiaries.
According to her, the programme focuses on providing people in underserved communities with practical digital skills that can improve employability, entrepreneurship and participation in the digital economy.
The President and Chief Executive Officer of DBI, Mr. David Daser, said the Institute’s designation reflected the confidence of the ITU in its capacity and the support of the NCC for digital capacity development.
Daser said DBI had achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first institution globally to simultaneously hold the status of an ITU Academy Training Centre and an ITU Digital Transformation Centre.
He called for continued NCC support to scale the initiative nationwide, particularly through the Commission’s infrastructure, networks and partnerships.
Daser said the initiative aligned with the objectives of Nigeria’s National Digital Literacy Framework, which targets 95 per cent digital literacy by 2030.
He stressed that achieving the target would require sustained investment and stronger collaboration, particularly to extend digital skills training and certification to underserved populations.
He said DBI’s new status would position the Institute to expand its contribution to developing a digitally skilled workforce for Nigeria and Africa.