The Nat’l President of the Guild of Online Media Editors and Publishers of Nigeria (GOMEP-NG), Comr. Akpovoke Otiti, has called on the Federal and State Governments to invest in digital skill training for women and young people to tackle unemployment and unlock economic opportunities across the country.
Otiti, said digital technology had become a key driver of wealth creation, employment and innovation in present world economy, stressing that empowering women and youths with relevant digital skills was essential to Nigeria’s economic growth.
Speaking at a programme in Abuja, the GOMEP-NG president expressed concern that millions of Nigerian youths remained unemployed, not necessarily because of lack of talent, but because many lacked access to digital training and the opportunities needed to compete in an increasingly technology driven world economy.
He said equipping young people with requisite knowledge on digital skills would reduce their dependence on government support while enabling them to contribute meaningfully to national development.
“Any boy or girl equipped with digital skills is one less person dependent on government and one more person contributing to Nigeria’s economy,” Otiti said.
He urged the Federal and State Governments to establish and support digital education centres, technology hubs and innovation programmes in every state of the federation.
According to him, such initiatives would expand access to digital learning, equip young people with practical and marketable skills, and prepare them for the changing demands of the global labour market.
Otiti also emphasised the importance of including women in digital empowerment initiatives, noting that broader access to technology and digital education could create new pathways to employment, entrepreneurship and financial independence.
He maintained that deliberate investment in digital education would help bridge existing skills gaps, stimulate innovation and position Nigeria’s growing youth population to benefit from opportunities in the digital economy.
“The future of Nigeria belongs to the digital economy, and our youths must not be left behind,” he said.
The GOMEP-NG president called for sustained collaboration between federal and state authorities, educational institutions and relevant stakeholders to ensure that digital skills training reached young people and women across the country.
He said empowering the next generation with the right technological knowledge and practical skills was critical to building a more productive, inclusive and economically resilient Nigeria.