NITDA Kick Starts ICT Training for People Living with Disabilities

As parts of its mandate to develop and regulate Information Technology in Nigeria, The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has kicked off a specialized Training for Persons Living with Disabilities (PLWDs).

According to result of findings by The World Bank, 1 Billion people globally live with one form of disability or another. The World Report on Disability (WRD), jointly published by the World Health Organization and the World Bank in 2011, narrowed that figure to 25 Million as the number of Nigerians living with at least one form of disability.

With Nigeria having a wholesome share of persons living with disabilities, the government has deemed it fit to improve their aptitude for and access to ICT for the benefit of the economy.

According to the agency, the series of trainings will take place in the different geo-political zones of the country. This year’s edition is taking place in the North East. Gombe State was selected as the venue of the event due to its proximity to all the States of the Zone.

NITDA also revealed that over 350 participants applied for the training and the participants were selected by a team of experts.

According to the The Director General of NITDA, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami , the agency has been organising an annual ICT training for PLWDs as a means of building their capacity to make them self-reliant in line with the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of the present administration, which places a premium on investment in people and emphasizes the need for social inclusion.

Pantami also disclosed that the participants for the training were drawn from all the 6 States in the North East Zone. Each of the clusters for PLWDs was represented in the selection. The 3 clusters are the Physically Challenged, those with Hearing Impairment and those with Visual Impairment.

Speaking further on the training, the Director General said, ‘‘During the training, the participants will be taught topics like Computer essentials, online collaboration, digital literacy and entrepreneurship, amongst others. The curriculum will also include cluster-specific topics.

‘‘Each of the participants will be provided with a specialized laptop with Custom Software installed to meet the distinct training needs of the participants in each of the three clusters. We believe that the laptops, training and post-event mentorship will empower the PLWDs and enable them to establish their own business. We also believe that it will enable them to serve as trainers and mentors to other PLWDs,’’ he added.