NITDA Collaborates With Foundations To Develop Innovative Tech Talent

The Creative Technology Programme (CTP) 2022 has been made public by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Ascend Studios Foundation.

The programme aims to cultivate and maintain creative technology talent in Nigeria, in order to advance career skills and present beneficiaries with employment prospects.

This was stated in a joint statement released on Thursday in Abuja by Dr Inya Lawal, President of Ascend Studios Foundation, and Hadiza Umar, Head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations of NITDA.

“The goal of the programme is to enable, nurture and upskill creative technology talents in persons into viable career options.

“It will create an ecosystem that will boost the economic potential of all participants,” they said.

Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of NITDA, was quoted as saying that the COVID-19 pandemic had exacerbated the existing digital skills gap and resulted in millions of job losses.

Inuwa also said: ”It had disrupted the global landscape while leaving many with speculations on the world’s recovery mechanism, hence the need for the training.”

Lawal was delighted that NITDA had partnered with them.

He said: “Our goal is to bridge the creative technology skill gap Nigeria has and produce top professionals in Gaming, Animation and Augmented Reality(AR) whose work can compete globally.”

Umar said that the creative economy was rapidly transforming the global economic landscape and the technology skills gap between Africa and other continents was widening.

She said: ”Technology literacy is fast becoming a fundamental right and a springboard for Africans to engage and participate in today’s world.

“There is a need and demand for creative and digital technology skills which is more pressing than ever before.

“The programme will find talents in Animation, Games and AR who will contribute positively to the Nigerian economy and its relation to career,business opportunities within creative technology.”

Umar said that the HOW Foundation, Africa Creative Market, Paramount Africa, Global Wissen Consult, Entertainment IP Germany, and the Animation Excellence Cluster in Germany were all providing financial assistance for the CTP.

She stated that the programme will run from November 21 to December 7 and that the application had opened on November 3 and closed on November 11.

Umar asked potential candidates to apply using this link: bit.ly/2022ctp.