Digital skills empowerment is the key to economic stability and eradication of social vices, and youth-led organisation, Tekisite aims to improve digital literacy and wealth.
No fewer than 900 Ogun teenagers benefited from a digital training program organised by Tekisite to empower Nigerian youths with digital skills and also eradicate cybercrime.
Founder of Tekisite, Abass Oyeyemi speaking on this edition of Tekisite said:
Our ideas are bold, articulate and compelling. We believe that there is no true eradication of social vices like cybercrime without digital empowerment of teenagers and youths. We have to build global teenagers that would compete with their mates globally and making Nigeria a major stakeholder in the digital economy.
Founder of Tekisite, Abass Oyeyemi
The project was done in collaboration with Code Learners Hub which supplied instructors to train teenagers on software development. It also had partners like Tekinest, Menaget SPC and Reaching Minds Foundation as major sponsors of the training that focused on digital skills like software development, graphics design, product design, and photography.
With the three senatorial districts in the state as training camps, students were grilled during the two-week project from June 19 to June 30, 2022. And as an endpoint, there was a Tekisite Summit/Competition on July 1, 2022, which marked the grand finale of the two-week training.
The theme was “The Impact of Digital Technology on Economic Growth and Production, and its Implications for Employment and Equality” and had key stakeholders in the tech ecosystem like Olaniran Monsur, Anderson Ozakpo, Bola Onifade and Rahaman Abiola as speakers.
Speaking at the programme, the keynote speaker, Olaniran Monsur, said that “with digital technology comes liberation. Liberation from social vices like cybercrime and economic inequality can only come through digital technology. Also, the only leverage we have as Africans to meet with developed countries is technology, and we have to maximise its opportunities.”
Chief Business Officer of Technext, Anderson Ozakpo while speaking on the panel said that the, “ability to communicate values is one of the most important aspects of executing and in tech, you have to keep on executing.”
The highlight of the event was a competition that had over 100 secondary students from the three districts in Ogun.
Part of the competition was presentations by the students of Fortress College, Ijebu-Ode, Alaye High School, Ayetoro, Nawairudeen High School Abeokuta, Olaroyals School, Abeokuta and Pacesetter College, Ayetoro.
At the end of the competition, the winners were adjudged by the jurors who comprised of accomplished individuals in the digital sector.
Fortress College won both the Software Development and Product Design categories, while Alaye High School won the Photography category and Pacesetters College emerged winners of the Graphic Design sections.
The Head of Training, Tekisite, Balogun Rosheedah while commenting said:
The impact of ICT on the socio-economic development of the world is monumental, this is why we’ve tailored down courses that would make our students valuable for the global market.