Members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) enlisted as digital champions under the Federal Government’s Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) programme have trained more than 500,000 Nigerians in basic digital skills since the initiative began.
Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, disclosed this during a presentation at the NYSC Headquarters in Abuja. He awarded eight laptop computers to Corps Members adjudged outstanding in both training and field performance at the national level.
The DL4ALL initiative stems from a Presidential mandate for NITDA to achieve 95 percent digital literacy by 2030, with a mid-term target of 70 percent by 2025. Abdullahi explained that about 17,760 Corps Members are trained annually as digital champions, with each tasked to train at least two Nigerians daily, amounting to a minimum of 60 persons monthly.
He noted that the collaboration between NITDA and NYSC has accelerated diversification through industrialisation, digitisation, creative arts, manufacturing, and innovation. The programme particularly targets vulnerable groups such as petty traders, senior citizens, and those at risk of online fraud, with training conducted in marketplaces, religious centres, and motor parks.
NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, commended NITDA for encouraging digital literacy, stressing that with over 400,000 graduates passing through the scheme annually, Corps Members are being sent back to society as job creators and digital empowerment ambassadors.
A highlight of the occasion was the presentation of a ₦3.5 million cheque by NITDA to NYSC for the Corps digital champions, reinforcing the government’s commitment to expanding access to IT skills and building a digitally literate population.
This initiative marks a significant step toward Nigeria’s goal of embedding digital literacy as a cornerstone of national development and economic resilience.
By Ngozi Nwankwo, Abuja
