Kingsley Adonu, founder of SMobile Group, has harped on the need to equip Nigerian youths with digital skills to benefit the digital economy, particularly in South East Nigeria.
Adonu, who recently ventured into tech hub development in Enugu, expressed his readiness to work with relevant authorities in the zone to discourage youths from engaging in crime.
“The digital economy”, Adonu said, “is rapidly transforming the employment landscape across industries, including financial services, health, entertainment, transportation, entertainment, energy, governance, and of course, information and communication technologies.”
According to him, “millions of jobs requiring advanced digital skills will be created in the coming decade, but many reports are projecting a shortfall of skilled workers to fill these jobs. While young people are often considered ‘digital natives’, the reality is that the majority do not possess job-relevant digital skills. In particular, jobs requiring coding and other advanced ICT skills are going unfilled.”
Kingsley Adonu, SMobile Group Founder.
According to him, “millions of jobs requiring advanced digital skills will be created in the coming decade, but many reports are projecting a shortfall of skilled workers to fill these jobs. While young people are often considered ‘digital natives’, the reality is that the majority do not possess job-relevant digital skills. In particular, jobs requiring coding and other advanced ICT skills are going unfilled.”
The SMobile Founder said that the growing digital sector offers a significant opportunity to address the urgent problem of youth unemployment, while also driving economic progress in the region.
In the next decade, millions of jobs requiring advanced digital skills will be created. However, reports suggest that there will be a shortage of skilled workers to fill these positions, Adonu added.
Adonu explained that the Enugu State Governor has a vision to combat poverty by equipping youths with relevant digital skills. The aim is to empower five million young people with both basic and advanced digital skills in the Southeast region, with Enugu being the starting point. This goal is set to be achieved by 2030.
He proposed that digital skills be integrated into SMobile Tech Hub’s curricula, on-the-job training systems be established, and young people be mobilised for digital-centric jobs by job creators in the public and private sectors.
According to him, “there will also be a strong focus on fostering youth-led digital entrepreneurship in South East Nigeria.”
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