By Aluta News
Oct. 18, 2021
Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on Monday began a five-day capacity training to upskill 50 members of Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA).
The Director- General, NITDA, Mr Kashifu Inuwa, said in his address at the training in Lagos that the initiative to upskill journalists from NITRA was in line with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS).
Inuwa said it was also the mandate of NITDA on Digital Literacy and Skills and the Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan 2021 to 2024.
According to him, it is to intervene in the development of digital technology by supporting, promoting and facilitating digital skills and literacy programmes and the development of innovative solutions for adoption and use in every facet of national life.
Inuwa, who was represented by Mrs Chinyere Nwankwo, manager, Digital architecture, said that the training would also support improvement of trust, confidence and security on the mode of media production and delivery.
He said that the training would also provide digital capacity for the management, storage and retrieval of digital information and content security.
According to him, the training will further shape the technological understanding of the participants needed in reporting the industry as well as their digital skills.
‘’It will help ICT journalists in news gathering and fact checking in this era of fake news.
‘’ In this our dynamic ICT world, several trends such as growing digitisation, interconnectedness and convergence are often discussed by experts as well as laymen.
‘’Information and Communication Technology journalists play a significant part in disseminating, explaining and interpreting these new technologies and in facilitating our understanding of future trends,’’ he said.
According to him, it will also educate both their audience and developers they cover because digital literacy is now more important than ever.
Inuwa said that the ability to find, evaluate, utilise and create information using digital technology includes areas such as online security, online communication responsibility, and digital ethics.
He said that most positions today required technological knowledge and organisations must provide training and education on ICT or risk having the workforce being left behind.
The D-G said that the employees with digital literacy skills were more competent in their work, as they easily identified important information, data, patterns and used them efficiently.
According to him, this is important because we are constantly being disrupted by new information and digital literacy skills.
He said the skills also allowed workers to use technology to collaborate and connect with each other and thus strengthen teamwork.
He, however, urged that the capacity training should be effectively applied to improve services in the industry and Nigeria at large.
NAN