1/22/2020 Lagos State, ATC to Boost Youth Empowerment with Digital Villages - THISDAYLIVE

Lagos State, ATC to Boost Youth Empowerment with

Digital Villages
June 14, 2018 12:32 am

Emma Okonji

ATC Nigeria, in collaboration with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund and Jobberman, is
deploying digital villages across Lagos that will serve as Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) skills acquisition centre, designed for youth empowerment.

According to ATC Nigeria, access to the internet is widely seen as a human right in the eyes of
millions of people around the world. The internet has evolved to a point where people see
internet access as vital for them to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and other
fundamental human rights such as education.

The company however decried the limited internet access available to Nigeria, especially its
youths that are multitasking and are in need of internet assess for innovation in the digital
era.

It said in spite of the many benefits of the internet, its reach in Nigeria and Africa remains
limited. “Cost, scalability, power outages and educational barriers are only some of the
challenges facing the mass roll out of internet in Africa. Although Nigeria is ranked as
Africa’s highest internet user, it’s youths still find it difficult to have ubiquitous and cheap
internet access.”

Citing the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) figure on the number of internet
users, which is put at 98.3 million as at November 2017, ATC Nigeria said approximately 50
per cent Nigerians do not have access to Internet, when compared with the 98 million
Nigerian population. Those that have access to the internet, pay heavily to have internet
access, which invariably slows their rate of innovation, ATC said, adding that it was the reason
why it decided to deploy digital villages across the country, beginning with Lagos, in
partnership with Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) and Jobberman, to enable
Nigerian youths have access to skills development centre that is equipped with internet
access.

To address the challenge, ATC Nigeria is leveraging its communications infrastructure in an

innovative way by creating what the company refers to as “Digital Villages,” near its

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communications tower sites.

Digital Villages are retrofitted steel shipping containers equipped with work stations to
accommodate twelve computers and equipment such as scanners, photocopiers and
projectors. Digital Villages utilise the uninterrupted power supply and broadband link from ATC
Nigeria’s tower sites to provide host communities with free education and training in ICT
and entrepreneurship.

They also support the ongoing efforts of the federal and various state governments to provide
youth development and empowerment schemes for indigent youth and young graduates, and
enable communities to access government e-services, helping improve the efficiency of vital
government programmes.

Digital Villages are deployed by ATC Nigeria in underserved and often destitute communities
with reasonable population density to maximise their use.

According to the company, as at May 2018, 73 young Nigerians had successfully graduated
from Digital Villages across the country after completing four-week courses in ICT and
entrepreneurship.

Executive Secretary, LSETF, Mr. Akintunde Oyebode, commended ATC for deploying one of
such centres in Makoko, a suburb of Lagos.

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