Gideon Arinze in Enugu
The federal government has launched the Renewed Hope Students Leaders Engagement and Digital Acceleration Programme as part of efforts to improve the employability, entrepreneurial capacity and digital competitiveness of Nigerian students.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students Engagement, Comrade Sunday Daya, unveiled the initiative yesterday in Enugu during the South-east edition of the programme, themed “Empowering Students With Digital Skills and Innovation.”
In his address, Daya said that President Bola Tinubu believes Nigeria’s greatest asset lies not only in its natural resources but also in its youthful population, noting that the administration has continued to implement policies and programmes aimed at equipping young Nigerians with the skills, opportunities and platforms needed to thrive in the 21st-century economy.
“The Digital Acceleration Programme was designed to strengthen engagement between government and student leaders while exposing participants to emerging technologies and digital opportunities that would enhance their employability and entrepreneurial capacity,” he said.
According to him, the digital revolution has transformed the way people learn, work, communicate and conduct business, creating opportunities in fields such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, cybersecurity, software development and digital marketing.
“Our responsibility is to ensure that Nigerian students are not mere consumers of technology but creators of solutions, innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders who will drive the digital ecosystem,” Daya said.
Also speaking, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh, reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to building a generation of digitally skilled and technologically empowered youths, stressing that the Digital Acceleration Programme was intended to prepare students for opportunities beyond conventional employment.