Celine Lafoucriere, UNICEF Chief of Lagos Field Office, on Wednesday disclosed that over 2 million children and young people across 21 states in Nigeria are already using the Nigeria Learning Passport, a digital learning platform designed to give adolescents Nigerians skills development.
Speaking at a two-day media dialogue organised by the Oyo State Ministry of Information in collaboration with UNICEF, Lafoucriere also said over 62,000 girls and women have already completed digital courses through the platform.
She posited that by 2030, Nigeria is projected to have about 126 million children and adolescents as a whole saying this is a largest youth population in the whole of Africa.
While commending the Federal Government for its commitment through the national policy on skills development, she demanded Nigerian leaders to invest in what the children needs to compete on global level.
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“Together we can build a Nigeria where every single one can enjoy digital technology. 126milion children and adolescents as a whole and this is a largest youth population in the whole of African.what I want to urge you to do today is to use to use your voice, to use your platforms to help me, to help us at UNICEF in this advocacy work. Use your platforms to ensure that every young Nigerian whether male or female, rural or urban, rich or poor get access to digital skills.
“We need to close the gender gap in technology, we need to rinse the most marginalized in the community, we need to prepare young people for jobs that do not exit yet because that is what the world is gravitating towards.”
In his remarks, Mr. Rotimi Babalola, Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Ministry of Information, lauded the work of UNICEF and the media, stressing the importance of digital education alongside Artificial Intelligence in shaping the future.
Mr. Martins Opeyemi, Director Policy, Planning, Research and Statistics of the Lagos Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, lauded UNICEF for its role in strengthening digital learning in Lagos State,.
He said the digital learning process supported by UNICEF has enhanced students’ performance, including at international competitions, where Lagos learners continue to record notable improvements.
