Thursday, 28th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

India, UK partner Nigeria to boost ICT sector

By Adeyemi Adepetun
19 July 2017   |   4:15 am
Indian and the United Kingdom’s, APTECH Computer Technology in conjunction with Middlesex University, have announced their willingness to help Nigeria fast track...

Indian and the United Kingdom’s, APTECH Computer Technology in conjunction with Middlesex University, have announced their willingness to help Nigeria fast track her economic growth by bringing their global technology expertise on board.

The Vice President and Coordinator, West African Sub-region, APTECH Computer, Kalol Mokherjee, made this disclosure at the 9th edition of the APTECH Career Quest, held in conjunction with the Middlesex University, a Central London-based University, in Lagos, last week.

Speaking on the yearly event, Mokherejee said his organisation is keen on training many Nigerian students in the area of Information Communication Technology (ICT), and education with a view to fostering economic growth in the country.

He said: “the fastest growing economies in the world are driven with modern technology and there is no doubt that any country which desires economic growth must embrace information communication technology.”

According to Mokherjee, given the existing agreement with the parties involved, the pilot programme for this massive human capital development initiative may commence by October this year, with 2000 Nigerians already selected and cleared from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

They will participate in iintensive entrepreneurial ICT-based training in India, and possibly across European affiliate training centres.

He disclosed that the Career Quest, graced by different students from some secondary schools across Lagos, including Genesis College, Lekki; Covenant Hall School, Ota, Ogun State; and Mosheku High School, Ejigbo, also featured award of full and partial scholarships to five students studying Software Engineering, Apps Development and more.

The scholarship is worth N5 million, according to the Managing Director, and Chief Executive Officer of APTECH International, Anil Plant.

Plant said the company has been in Nigeria since 2000, and has so far trained 20,000 young Nigerians, all doing well in their respective endeavours. APTECH, founded in 1943, is currently having programmes in 173 countries across the world, with degree programmes in Dubai, Malta, Mauritius, London, and India.

One of the scholarship recipient, Chunukwo Chisom, a 19-year-old 200-level Advanced Diploma Software Certificate student at APTECH, said: “the 50 per cent scholarship granted him to study in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, was a dream come true,” as it would assist him to fulfil his dream of “becoming a technology giant.

“My childhood dream is to become an ICT inventor, with competencies in Web Designing, and Developing Enterprise Applications, using the technological tools to contribute to the socio-economic development of my country and the entire world. My dream is to compete with the global brands like Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Twitter,” he added.

Speaking earlier, the Business Development Director of Aptech Lekki and Ajah centres, Lagos, Dr, Joe Ebinum, said amid economic recession, technology offers a rare opportunity and hope for a prosperous economy that is oil-independent.

Ebinum said: “IT and computers are the way forward now…so many non-oil producing and exporting countries are thriving like Japan, Israel, Singapore, China, and India. These nations are I.T oriented.

“In a recent interview, MD of Daimler Benz, makers of the famous Benz luxury cars and buses, said their competitors are no longer other car manufacturers but companies such as Tesla, Google, Apple and Amazon. He said that software has disrupted and will further disrupt traditional industries in the next 5-10 years. Look at UBER. It is just a software tool. They don’t own cars but they are now the biggest taxi company in the world. B&b is now the biggest hotel company in the world yet, they don’t own a single property. Computer and I.T skills rule the world,” he added.

0 Comments