The Federal Government (FG) has approved the establishment of a
Digital Literacy Council of Nigeria (DLCN), reports ITRealms.
Disclosing this to ITRealms,
the Minister of Communications, Alhaji Abdur-Raheem Adebayo Shittu said the Council
is to develop a National Policy on Digital Literacy through which appropriate
digital literacy guidelines and standards in Nigeria would be promoted.
The Council, he also said, is expected to develop a Strategic
Action Plan for the implementation of this initiative as well as identify and
harness opportunities for partnerships.
Speaking Tuesday in Lagos while delivering a keynote
address at the 2017 Digital Citizenship Summit Nigeria held at the University
of Lagos, said this is in order to provide digital literacy services to
Nigerian citizens irrespective of their geographical location within the
country.
He added that its decisions will be implemented by the Digital
Literacy Management Committee under the leadership of the Director-General, National
Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). The Council is already
deliberating on its operational methods.
Shittu stressed that digital literacy is beneficial because; it is
a requirement for an individual to be competitive and be best prepared for
today’s business world of advanced technology; it makes learning faster, allows
everyone to study at his own pace, lookup words, data, facts, figures etc;
saves hours per month for tasks that could only be done offline; and a means to
employment because most jobs today require some form of computer literacy.
The minister informed the gathering that the National Economic
Council (NEC) has approved a policy to harmonise right of way charges payable
by telecom companies and related public utility infrastructure on Local
Governments, States and Federal Highways.
This policy, he said, will minimize the spaces occupied, burden
on the roads and reduce taxes payable by the telecom operators. On our part, we
are ready to liaise with States and relevant stakeholders for the smooth
implementation of the Right of Way project.
He further brought to the knowledge of Nigerians, various
efforts of the Federal Government in prioritizing ICT, such as the plan to
establish a specialized ICT Development Bank for the development of the ICT
industry to cater for the needs of operators in the ICT industry which the
regular banks cannot provide because of the time it takes to develop ICT
products and services.
‘In present day's high-tech world, digital literacy is a
requirement for an individual to be competitive and be best prepared for
today’s business world of advanced technology. It is the ability to understand
and use information in multiple formats from a wide range of sources when it is
presented via computers. It came to the fore in the last decade with the advent
of platforms and apps that have changed the way our world works.
“There are numerous digital applications that we cannot do
without them today such as, Mobile Money transactions, e-verification apps that
allow people to verify the authenticity of drugs and other products,
e-learning, online transactions, Health, Education, Banking, workforce, bills
payments, etc,” he said.
He said the Ministry has done so much to ensure the development
of the Information and Communications Technology industry in the country and has
remain committed in its doggedness to address relevant issues despite various
challenges facing the sector by working with all stakeholders to provide
guidance and direction for the sector.
Alhaji Shittu was happy to inform to say that the Information
and Communication Technology Roadmap has been approved by the Federal Executive
Council and that the ICT roadmap is a fundamental component of the Economic
Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP 2017 to 2020) of the Federal Government.
Nonye Dom/GEE
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