Implementing partner, Centre for Information Technoloy Development(CITAD) has collaborated with Actionaid Nigeria to train over 200 youths and women in Dakwa and Tunga-Ashere communities in Abuja Municipal Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory on digital skills.

The training is part of Actionaid Nigeria’s Partnership and Local Rights Programme for the hard to reach communities.

Participants in the beneficiary communities were also offered mentorship on how to start, grow and sustain their businesses and access laons.

Participants in group photograph with CITAD representatives and Actionaid Nigeria Partnership for Local Rights Advisor, Hajara Opaluwa Adamu(2nd on the front row from the left) on Tuesday, during a meeting in Dakwa community.

Speaking in an interview with journalists after a meeting with participants in Dakwa and Tunga-Ashere communities on Tuesday, Programme Assistant, Gender and Internet Advocasy at CITAD, Salma Abdulwahid, said the essence of the programme was to build potential entreprenuers and develop digital entreprenuership skills in women and youths.

She said the visit to the communities was to acquaint participants of the programme with agencies and organisation to enable them acesss opportunities, grants and loan facilities to set up and expand their businesses.

“We have trained over 100 students- young boys and girls here in Dakwa as well as over 100 youths in Tunga-Ashere on digital skills to empower them. We decided to bring business support clinic to them to mentor them on how to go about their business.”

“Our ICT centres in 5 area councils in the FCT, including the two in Dakwa and Tunga-Ashere are man by interns, and remain open everyday from Monday to Saturday. We encourage students in the local communities to take advantage of these centres to learn,” she said.

On her part, responding to questions from journalists, Actionaid Nigeria’s Partnership and Local Rights Advisor, Hajara Opaluwa-Adamu said the organisation was partnerng with CITAD under her Partnership and Local Rights Programme to deploy the interventions.

The Actionaid Nigeria’s representative said the programme is presently ongoing in 11 states and the FCT.

She said Actionaid Nigeria works with groups in hard to reach communities in the area of educate, governance, women’s right, humanitarian services, food and agriculture.

On what informed the ICT training, Opaluwa-Adamu said students in the communities had no access to ICT facilities and have had to travel long miles to register for their examinations.

“In line with the SDG gaol of leaving no one behind, we have established 5 ICT centres in the FCT which is not only for the youths but for women who are interested. We equipped the centres with laptops, chairs, cameras, internet moden, printers and we have trained participants on photography, videography and use of Microsoft,”added Opaluwa-Adamu.

She was confident that with the training, participants will be able to compete favourably with their counterparts outside the communities.

Also speaking, a representative from the Economic Services Department of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Patricia Ukana, told the women in the community that the ministry was concerned about their social economic wellbeing.

She urged them to key into the empowerment programmes of the ministry for women to improve their lives.

She advised them to form a cooperative groups and register the group in their area council and with the ministry to enable them benefit from it’s empowerment programmes.

Onbehalf of the participants, the women leader of Dakwa community, Hafsatu Shuaibu thanked CITAD and Actionaid Nigeria for the interventions to better their lives.