CITAD KIDHACKS is a program designed to teach secondary school students between the ages of 13 – 18yrs computer programming, to enable them create simple apps and solve mathematical and scientific problems. The KIDHACKS will use Scratch to teach them how to program and also we will use Google Blocky in order to enable them understand different syntax of programming language so that they can compare and understand the different format of each language. ICT Training is a CITAD program design to teach people basic computer operations and data processing with Microsoft Office Packages (MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Publisher) and also graphics design using Corel Draw Graphics

Taiyakodin (She knows how to code!)is a CITAD program targeted at young girls. This is a build up on both the digital livelihood project and the digital summer institute for young women between the ages of 18 – 30 years, the prgramme teaches then how to programme and develop mobile apps.

Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) in partnership with Action Aid Nigeria (AAN), organized a digital skills training for men and women in the grass root communities within the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The purpose of the training is to equip youths from hard to reach locations with skills that will enhance their knowledge and experience on computer system and how it can be used to access vast opportunities for community developments. The training includes but not limited to entrepreneurship and business skills to further empower them with tools or material that will further boost business ideas and bring successes and development to their community.

A total number of five (5) ICT centers were cited in five communities, linking each other in the same Local Government. Each community was requested to provide 10 females and 5 males making fifteen beneficiaries in each community and 45 participants per center as meeting point for all three communities.   OBJECTIVES

• To bridge the digital divide between urban and rural areas.
• To train community youths on skills that will help develop their literacy in computer applications.
• To engage community youths in using computer knowledge to enhance and develop their business ideas.
• To bring all forms of development to the communities using ICT platform for advocacy.

PROJECT SUMMARY

• ICT for development, prioritising women and working with youths for inclusive IT in the following communities and area councils in the FCT.
  • Bwari Area Council – Pasepa,Kuchibuyi, Guto
  • Kwali Area Council – Kilankwa, Leleyi gwari ,Pai
  • Kuje Area Council – Gaube,Kayache, Tupechi
  • AMAC – Jiwa, Dakwa, Angwagwalada, TungaNasara, Tunga ashere, Gofidna

The Bauchi Feminist Internet School was initiated to train gender digital inclusion advocates who would collaborate with CITAD and join the effort towards bridging gender digital inclusion, by training other women and gender advocates on various issues relating to Internet, advocacy visits, media and stakeholders’ engagements as well as online campaigns using various social media platforms. CITAD has so far trained 21 champions from various states in the northern Nigeria.

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) is implementing a project entitled Supporting Community-led Approaches to Addressing the Digital Divide Nigeria coordinated globally by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) support from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through their Digital Access Programme (DAP).

This is part of a global project to catalyze the flourishing of community networks as a means of connecting the unconnected

The project focuses on selected locally managed community networks in three regions, Africa, Asia and Latin America, to strengthen their impact, reach and sustainability

This group of community networks will form the core of a peer community that can connect and broaden support for community-based connectivity initiatives, nationally, regionally and internationally

The project will achieve its objectives through peer learning and exchange, awareness raising, technical assistance, capacity building for the development of scalable, innovative and sustainable networks, policy and regulatory advocacy and community mobilization.

The training was held at CITAD office Jama’are branch on Tuesday 04^th May 2021, with 8 attendees from Itas DEX Initiatives, Jama’are Traders Association, Jama’are blowse Association, and Itas youth Association, opening remarks was said by Engineer Suhail CITAD Technical officer, he welcomed each and every one who attended the training he says that the purpose of the training is to aware and shows the benefits of the community networks to the peoples as well as how to start or build their own community networks,

The training slides has 9 modules, and started at 10:00am by Engineer Suhail with the introduction to community networks, what services community networks offers and types of community networks, he gives clear definition of community networks by the Internet Society (ISOC) and services that community networks offer like voice, data E.T.C and ended the section one of the training with discussion about the types of community networks and answering questions from the participants,

Goes to 30 minutes break from 11:30am to 12:00am after the section one of the training has ended

Back to the training Engineer Suhail continuous with the explanation on how to start community networks, what facilities or infrastructures needed in order to start community networks, and explanation on what regulatory conditions required for communities to start their own community networks,

And again goes to 30 minutes breaks from 1:30pm to 2:00pm, after the section two of the training completed

The last section of the training has started from 2:00pm by Engineer Suhail, he explains how the community network link themselves nationally and internationally, and ended the last section of the training by explaining the ways for community networks follows to solve sustainability issues, that is how the community networks continuous sustaining itself even without any support from others organizations like APC.

The whole training finished with the vote of thanks by the Engineer Suhail CITAD technical officer, he thanks everyone for attending the training and he encouraged these micro-organizations members to be very active and spend their time by acquiring new skills so that the project will successfully be achieved and implemented in their area.

Held on the 28th of November, 2020 Virtually

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) with support of MacArthur Foundation had on the 28^th of November, 2020 as part of its Anti-Corruption and Accountability Project in Nigeria organized a one day virtual workshop to online Journalists on Writing for Accountability and Anti-Corruption Issues in Nigeria. The essence of organizing the workshop was to deepen the understanding of the journalists on accountability and anti-corruption issues and shift their attention to writing on the subject matter. The workshop also aimed to enhance the Understanding of the Dimensions of Accountability and Corruption, Sensitize the Journalists to Pay Attention to Issues of Accountability and Anticorruption in their Contents and Enlist Online Journalists to improve their Contribution in Exposing Corruption and Impunity through their Platforms.

Media being one of the pillars of democracy and institution that hold government accountable and report on issues that affect the lives of the ordinary citizens, CITAD found them to be partners in fighting corruption in the country. However, as the world of journalism is shifting to an online one globally and many of the traditional media are losing their readers and listeners, so the attention of organizations, governments and individuals most especially in the developing nations is shifting towards online journalists. This bring the need for organizations to focus on training and sensitizing these journalists on pressing issues that are crippling the economy and development of developing countries i.e. corruption.

At the workshop, experts in the area of Anti-Corruption and Accountability, Public Procurements and Human Rights enlightened the participants about the importance of writing on anti-corruption and accountability issues in their platforms. Dr. Jide Ojo, a Writer, Journalist and Development Consultant discussed on Corruption: Theoretical and Definitional Discuss. Dr. Ojo took the participants through the Definitions, Concept and Impact of Corruption on Good Governance. The second speaker, Dr. Aminu Hayatu, a Lecturer with Department of Political Science, Bayero University, Kano (BUK) discussed on Understanding the Many Dimension of Accountability. In his discussion, Dr. Hayatu emphasized on how to hold government officials accountable, Issue of Ethics and Legality for Journalists and how Journalists will avoid Writing Fake News. While Dr. Chris Kwaja from Modibbo Adama University of Science and Technology, Yola discussed on Human Rights Abuses as Corruption. Dr. Kwaja focused on the Relationship between Human Rights Abuses and Corruption, he explained to the participants how journalists are everyday being abused in the course of their duty by security agents and how those abuses are being categorized as corruption because in many occasions it led to suppressing of truth and denied the journalists the right to report things as they are. And finally, Dr. Aminu Aliyu of the Economics Department, BUK dwelled on how journalists will know if there is Corruption in a Project. In his presentation, Dr. Aliyu mentioned some elements that can help to understand whether there is corruption in a project like the Size of the Project, Uniqueness and Complexity of the Project, Public Sector Projects, Project with Several Sub-Contractors, Culture of Secrecy, lack of Transparency and due Diligence and High Cost of Integrity.

On his remarks at the workshop, the Executive Director of the Centre for Information Technology and Development, Engineer Y.Z Ya’u who was represented by the Programmes Coordinator, Ibrahim Nuhu stated that CITAD has for long being working with journalists to ensure transparency and accountability in the public sector and this particular workshop is unique looking at the nature of the participants who are mostly young people with passion to make change in the society. He urged the online journalists to use their platforms for promoting good governance in the country and not allowed themselves to be used by the politicians to suppress truth.