The proposed ICT University of Nigeria has received the endorsement and goodwill of Facebook and other industry giants at the just concluded World Summit on Information Society tagged WSIS FORUM 2017, in Geneva, Switzerland.
Minister of Communications, Barr. Adebayo Shittu, at a side meeting with Robert Pepper of Facebook, a resource person at the conference, was assured of Nigeria’s readiness for the ICT University take-off. The university to be run on a multi – campus basis in six locations across the country with established infrastructure, will robustly address the dearth of adequate training of technocrats in the industry to meet international standards.
Mr Pepper, who was elated by the Minister’s disclosures, promised the full involvement and support of Facebook, saying it falls within the confines of Facebook’s vision for Africa.
In other interactions with representatives of Google, Access Partnership, Microsoft Group, AT&T and other investors targeting the African continent, the Minister convinced them that Nigeria, going by her population and strategic position as the largest economy in that region is the best investment destination for wise investors.
Meanwhile, many resource persons and Smart Cities investors have been invited by the Minister to attend Nigeria’s Smart Cities Summit 2017, to be held in Abuja by the first week of August.
The WSIS Forum, which started on June 12, 2017, was rounded off on June 16. No fewer than seventy Ministers, including Nigeria’s Minister of Communications attended the week long summit. During the week, over 133 educative sessions were held with participants from across the member countries of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
It will be recalled that the six centers of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) with headquarters in Abuja and others in Lagos, Kano, Enugu, Yola and Asaba, will form the nucleus of the ICT University of Nigeria Multi- campus proposed University, an initiative of the Muhamadu Buhari administration.
