Nigerian graduates need to be equipped with essential skills for today’s digital workplace, experts in the digital space have disclosed.
This was stated at the DigifyPro Africa brainstorming session, tagged ‘Industry 4.0 Unleashed: Technologies, Opportunities and Skills’, held at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, recently.
Speaking at the event, Country and Programme Director for Nigeria, DigifyAfrica, Florence Olumodimu, said it was important for Nigerian graduates to be armed with the necessary digital skills to ensure that their knowledge was marketable.
In a statement, she said, “With the advancement in technology, it is important to equip Nigerian graduates with essential skills for the digital workplace. It is for this reason the Digifyng initiative was started four years ago. With each cohort, we strive to inject the marketing communications industry with well-trained Digify Pro graduates armed with cutting-edge skills and a fresh burst of energy.”
She explained that social media marketing and management skills are critical today as the marketing and communication industry is fast-changing.
She added, “Through our programmes, we have empowered young Nigerian graduates with different digital marketing skills. At Digify Africa, our mission is to contribute towards the reduction of youth unemployment, with a goal to train young Africans in skills that are in demand and enable them to create sustainable livelihoods in the digital economy.”
While speaking during the panel discussion, the Head of Portfolio Management (Solutions), Airtel Nigeria, Bidemi Ladipo, stated that tech skills were a must-have for graduates in the country.
He noted that the rate at which the tech industry was growing it was important for serious-minded graduates to position themselves for different opportunities in the sector.
“In the fast-evolving landscape of the digital era, acquiring relevant skills is imperative for individuals seeking to navigate and excel in the professional realm,” he said.
The Director of Content, Moniepoint Inc., Also, Obinna Okerekeocha, “The digital economy is huge and there are many ways to make money by creating value through creating creative contents.”
According to a recent survey by GetBundi, an online education technology company, more than 100 million young Nigerians have no digital skills to survive in today’s marketplace.
In its Global Skills Report 2023, Coursera ranked Nigeria as having one of the lowest in terms of skill proficiency globally.
