The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in collaboration with Google Nigeria, has announced the launch of a ‘Google Hustle Academy Bootcamp 2022’.
The bootcamp is aimed at providing free online training for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to promote career skills and improve business operations, thereby helping small businesses to be repositioned and increase their revenue generation.
“We are excited about this partnership with Google Nigeria, in line with our initiative of building the capacity of one million software developers by the end of 2023. The programme will help small businesses to grow by increasing revenue, positioning for investment and building sustainable businesses for the future,” said the director-general of NITDA, Mallam Kashifu Abdullahi.
Similarly, the head, brand reputation, Google Nigeria, Mr. Mojolaoluwa Aderemi-Makinde said: “We are excited to collaborate with NITDA to empower MSMEs to plan their digital marketing strategies, create business growth plans, identify new markets, access funding opportunities and pitch success.”
The MSMEs’ sector is a backbone for economic growth and a major provider of employment opportunities in a country. According to the National Bureau for Statistics (NBS), SMEs have contributed about 48 per cent to Nigeria’s GDP in the last five years. However, despite this significant contribution to Nigeria’s economy, challenges persist that hinder the growth and development of the sector. These include an inadequate understanding of how to leverage digital tools for business growth and poor planning and management skills. To address these challenges, NITDA has embarked on several initiatives to upskill and reskill Nigerians, in line with the national agenda for a digital economy – the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria (NDEPS).
In order to provide massive employment opportunities through digital skills, NITDA has kick-started an ambitious project to train one million software developers in the country. Therefore, the NITDA-Google Hustle Academy Bootcamp will enable MSMEs to maximise their potential and key into existing opportunities for socio-economic development.
A statement co-signed by the head, corporate affairs and external relations, Mrs. Hadiza Umar and the head, brand reputation, Google Nigeria, Mr. Mojolaoluwa Aderemi-Makinde said to ensure smooth and successful programme implementation, prospective candidates for the camp would need to display some business maturity (MSMEs with an existing business plan, defined product/service offering and willing to scale up), size of operations (businesses that have at least two full-time employees and have been operating for over 12 months) and revenue generated (businesses that have generated profit in the last 12 months or are 1 to 3 months away from breaking even).
