From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Governor Uba Sani intends to make Kaduna State a hub of Information Communication Technology (ICT), not just in northern Nigeria but across the entire country.
The Governor said that his administration has “collaborated with Data Science Nigeria (DSN) and Google.org in the program, Arewa Ladies4Tech, to train over 5,000 women across the state in ICT.”
“As a result, most of these women have become gainfully employed, some internationally, working from the comfort of their homes.”
Governor Uba Sani, who was represented by the Commissioner for Business, Innovation and Technology, Mrs Patience Fakai, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ engagement on the draft National Digital Economy and e-Governance Bill, organised by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy in Kaduna on Thursday.
According to the Governor, Kaduna State has “launched the AI4All initiative, meant to bring AI to Hausa speakers across Nigeria and beyond, through a series of short lessons on AI in the Hausa language, which are downloadable from the NITDA site and shareable with others by phone.”
Governor Uba Sani, who said that mainstreaming technology is one of his government’s agendas, added that the AI initiative in vernacular is the first of its kind in Africa.
He also mentioned that Kaduna State has partnered with Greysoft Technologies to bring young innovators to produce tech products for agriculture, under the auspices of the AgricTech Hackathon.
The Governor noted that the draft National Digital Economy and e-Governance Bill marks a significant step forward in harnessing the power of technology to drive economic growth and improve governance.
He further stated that the Digital Economy is no longer a niche sector, as it represents the future.
“The bill aims to create a comprehensive framework for the development and regulation of our digital economy, ensuring that we remain competitive in the global digital landscape,” he added.