Nigeria: Nigerian Internet Group Begins Search for I4j Beneficiaries

Adekunle Aliyu
Lagos

The Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) has announced its search for the beneficiary Internet for Jobs (I4J) Initiative, expected to boost employment in the country and create self-reliant jobs

President of NIG, Engr. Lanre Ajayi who made disclosure at the end of a session with committee chairmen of the group last week in Abuja said that every notable strategy have been put in place to ensure that those to be selected as beneficiaries would meet the laid down requirement.

Ajayi who also is the chief executive PiNet Informatics, said that NIG has been reviewing processes since the launch of the initiative on July 12, last year by the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Ndukwe and the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Professor Cleopas Angaye, at a colourful ceremony also held in Lagos, on how best to ensure transparency and best practices in the exercise.

He pointed out that interested Nigerians, especially the youths and upcoming entrepreneurs are encouraged to participate in the initiative by merely submitting their project details through form at www.i4j.nig.org.ng. "Simply fill a form on I4J website and submit your project, then the relevant committee would evaluate and get back to the owners," he declared, that I4J is a brainchild of NIG designed to critically examine and discover the potentials inherent in the Internet to generate jobs for the populace and transform the nation eventually," he said

According to him, currently NIG has been able to attract some Promoters for the I4J Initiative, which include Zenith Bank Plc, representing the private sector, NITDA and NCC both representing the government of Nigeria in a multi-sectoral partnership formed soon after the initiative was launched. "As a way of commitment towards actualizing the mission and vision of I4J initiative," Engr. Ajayi said, stressing that NIG vision for I4J, is to use the platform to transform Nigeria into an Information Society where business and government services are available online and the citizens positively engaged in knowledge-driven economic activities.

"I4J is intended to address some challenges facing the nation, especially in the areas of high rate of unemployment in the country and improve upon the current low adoption of Information Technology in Nigerian businesses and governments sectors," he said. Engr. Ajayi emphasized that the Initiative is intended to close the widening digital divide between Nigeria and the developed world by way of engaging some Nigerians in the fight against Internet scam.

In addition, he said, I4J strategy is to boost the current low skill and expertise in the area of Information Technology and the inability of good IT business dreams to see the light of the day by attracting startup funding locally, expressing optimism that opportunities abound in the country that could enhance the velocity of changing the nation into an Information Society, mostly if properly harnessed.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200804290538.html