Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, made this known at the graduation ceremony of 50 children, including 10 Almajiris at the Engausa Global Tech Hub in Kano State.
NITDA, in a statement, yesterday, said the young children were subjected to extensive training for two weeks on innovative digital skills on computer networking, installation of CCTV camera, graphic design, innovative creativity, among others.
Engausa Global Tech Hub is an incubation centre, in collaboration with NITDA in Kano, where young boys are subjected to extensive training, with the use of Hausa language to build skills in digital technology.
Inuwa said the centre, in 2021, trained over 700 young boys, who were selected from various rural communities in the state. He expressed satisfaction that the centre has drafted young Almajiris into the system.
“We have been collaborating with Engausa. As a result of the intervention we did for the centre, last year, it has multiplied the number of people it trained,” he said.
He noted that the agency has been expanding the collaboration and will do more with the centre in 2022 to help less-privileged children access digital technology.
Earlier, founder of the centre, Mustapha Ringim, said the facility seeks to bridge the productivity gap among young people.
“I realised there are a lot of things that I can offer to the community concerning breaking some barriers and bridging some gaps, which are limiting the productivity of our youth, especially the downtrodden ones at the grassroots – the Almajiris and school dropouts – who cannot continue their studies due to lack of proficiency in the English Language,” he said.
Ringim added: “I realised that the English Language is not the only medium for learning skills. It is not the only medium for prosperity when it comes to knowledge and practising what you know.
“That is why I break the language barrier of English and domesticate the technology and skills I have in me, so that people will easily tap from my knowledge through the use of Hausa language for better understanding of the subject matter.”
