Date: 2013-09-18

The Kwara State Government yesterday flagged off a five-day training exercise on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and mobile money for 300 selected youth drawn from across the three senatorial districts of the state.

The empowerment training which is holding at the Computer Based Test (CBT) of the University of Ilorin was a product of tripartite arrangement between the Kwara State Government, the YABA TECH Consult and the Stanbic IBTC bank.

Speaking earlier during the official flag-off of the training held at the University of Ilorin Main Auditorium, the Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed described the exercise as part of pragmatic approach to further empower army of youths in the state using ICT as a platform.

The Governor who was represented at the occasion by the state Commissioner for Youths and Sport, Hajia Ramat Adesina Abaya said the participants will gain computer literacy skills and operate the business of mobile money agents on Stanbic IBTC platform in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) cashless policy.

“This scheme is designed in a way that selected beneficiaries who complete and excel in computer literacy skills assessment exams and register with Stanbic IBTC bank mobile money platform by the state government will act as mobile bakers in their villages or communities where access to bank service are limited,“ she said.

In his comment, the Chairman, State House of Assembly Committee on Sport and Youth Development, Hon. Adamu Ibrahim Sabi who said that the era of typewriter has gone into extinction in present day world and commended the office of Special Assistant to the Governor on Youth Empowerment for taking this bold step towards empowering the Kwara youths.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Youth Empowerment, Alhaji Sakariyahu Babatunde who said that the importance of ICT cannot be over emphasized in the modern day world said hardly can any programmes be done without the input of ICT.

This, according to him, explained why his office decided to train youth on ICT in partnership with Stanbic IBTC bank and YABA TECH Consult as a way of empowering our youth to be job creators.