The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in a bid to foster the development of local content, have agreed to set up a joint committee.
According to the press release which was released by the NCDMB, via its official Twitter account, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote and the Director-General of NITDA Mr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi made this decision after a virtual meeting which was held on Microsoft Teams.
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PRESS RELEASE @OfficialNCDMB , @NITDANigeria set up committee on Local Content development
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) have agreed to set up a six-man joint committee that…— NCDMB (@OfficialNCDMB) October 7, 2020
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The Executive Secretary of NCDMB and the DG of NITDA agreed to set up a six-man joint committee that will foster their collaboration in the development of local content in information and communications technology, oil and gas industry and related sectors.
During the meeting, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote listed areas of collaboration to include the direct engagement of youth and the promotion of in-country production of motherboards, electronic components, system integration and assembly.
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He explained that other areas of the collaboration will include the mentoring of the beneficiaries of NCDMB through sponsored GSM repair training, development of mobile applications and personal computer applications as well as the optimization of the use of locally developed virtual meeting platforms.
The Director-General of NITDA described the planned inter-agency committee as an excellent idea. He explained that the perfect time for collaboration between NCDMB and NITDA is now, given the similarities in the mandates of both agencies, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic had compelled several sectors of the economy to digitize their operations.
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He identified capacity building as another possible area for collaboration between NCDMB and NITDA, indicating that personnel from about 100 government agencies were undergoing training currently at NITDA’s e-government center in digital transformation.
Abdullahi recalled that NITDA partnered with NCDMB in training 1000 youths in Yobe State on GSM repairs. He stressed the need for further mentorship of the trainees until they get to the market.
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The DG of NITDA remarked that in order to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years in line with the President’s pledge, a partnership between the agencies is needed to develop a monitoring and evaluation portal that can track the number of people trained and mentored, in a bid to monitor and track efficiently the jobs they create.
