The director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Abdullahi, has said the agency is keeping pace with People Living With Disabilities (PLWDs) by making sure they are captured in its digital literacy and skills programme.
He made this assertion while receiving the executive secretary, National Commission for Persons With Disabilities (NCPWD), James Lalu, and his team on a courtesy visit to the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
Abdullahi ostensibly agreed with the description of the executive secretary that President Muhammed Buhari, is the friendliest PLWD president since the amalgamation of the nation in 1914, haven passed into law the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018.
He assured his visitors of NITDA’s continual inclusion of PWD in all its initiatives with a special training session specifically targeted at equipping them with the necessary tools, knowledge and skills on digital transformation.
“Building a digitally inclusive community requires participation and support from all stakeholders, and partnership with the NCPWD would accelerate the campaign of promoting digital inclusion. We can work together to design special initiatives that would expand the impact of the two organisations.
“We can organise a challenge where people would come up with ideas to create a disability-friendly application.” This, Abdullahi added, would assist in optimising the best technology to meet identified objectives.
“Your commission can work towards building a special IT hub while NITDA provides the technical know-how and necessary tools.”
The NITDA boss informed the team that the agency has opened a link where PWDs in the south-south zone can register for a five-day empowerment programme on digital skills and entrepreneurship at Port Harcourt from January 24 to 28, 2022.
Earlier, Lalu commended NITDA for its efforts in promoting digital inclusion among PWDs and prayed the agency to extend its training periods and curriculum, as well as the need for experts and training facilitators at the e-learning centre to work in collaboration to develop a robust website.
