by Christiana Gokyo, Jos
The Minister of Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has disclosed that, the ministry wants to provide proper technical training for young people in the society.
The minister was in Jos to access and inspect the JD Gomwalk Building, at the Nigeria Standard Newspaper in Jos, on Wednesday, to see how they can start the renovation of the building.
“As you know, we’re an extremely youthful country – about 70 percent of our population is under the age of 30. For us, it’s a priority to ensure that we provide meaningful job opportunities for these young people,” he said.
He said they have done extremely well with their 3 Million Technical Talent program, which focuses on training 3 million young people across the country, stressing that, “It’s also important that we find avenues to help them secure jobs. That’s why we are in conversation with the governor of Plateau State.
“This is one of the states we are focusing on to see how we can accelerate the introduction of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) jobs here,” he explained.
“As you know, companies all over the world are looking to outsource job opportunities. Historically, they’ve done this with countries like India. But, Nigeria actually has an advantage – we speak better English and we’re well-positioned to handle many of these jobs. That’s the direction we’re heading in,” he noted.
Dr. Tijani also informed that, “The goal of today’s visit is to assess the possibility of converting this historic building – the Standard Building – into one of the Headquarters for BPO in the country.”
The minister further explained that their aim is to work with the State Government to refurbish the building and then engage with companies that hire young people for BPO work.
He said, “Plateau is not the only state we are focusing on; we are implementing this in a number of states, to the federal government’s goal is to ensure that our programs reach everyone, everywhere.”
Dr. Tijani stated further that, “Plateau State is unique. It stands out because education here is strong, the people are hard working, and they speak high-quality English, an essential requirement for BPO jobs.
“Importantly, the governor is also forward-thinking. He’s been actively engaging with us to make this a reality in Plateau State, and we appreciate that kind of leadership.
“Regarding the inspection, what we have seen tonight is beautiful; the structures on the Plateau under the “Time is Now” administration are impressive.
“The governor is clearly committed to restoring Plateau’s glory, and that’s exactly what we need. This state has so much to contribute to national development,” he said.
He emphasized that, “The president has made it clear that, we must build a $1 trillion economy in Nigeria. We can’t achieve that from Abuja alone; it has to be done by working closely with the sub-nationals, and Plateau State is one of the states we want to help elevate.
“Beyond the BPO opportunity, we have also deployed telecommunications towers across Plateau to ensure rural areas have coverage. Many currently don’t. We want to ensure that even those in agriculture can participate in the digital economy and leverage digital technologies,” he stressed.
The minister noted that, “Once these areas are connected, it will also help with security. Bad actors tend to hide in unconnected regions. Connectivity will give us better opportunities to govern and secure those areas.”
“After today’s inspection, within the next one to two months, this building will begin receiving fiber optic cable installations – because internet is the backbone of these operations,” he assured.
“This is done through the Universal Service Provision Fund under their Ministry, and they are projecting that, in the next six months, renovation of this facility will either be completed or well underway. We are already engaging the right organizations to fund it.
“However, we don’t want to invest in renovating the building without first ensuring the jobs are available. So, we’ve been engaging with the Business Process Outsourcing Association.
“In fact, we’ll be meeting with them again in Lagos on Monday. Many of them are eager to bring jobs here, but we want to make sure everything is in place before we commit resources. They’ve reassured us, and so you’ll see workshops beginning here in the next six-to-nine months,” he explained.
Also, the Commissioner for Information and Communications in the state, Hon. Joyce Ramnap, who accompanied the Minister, expressed gratitude for the initiative and for having Plateau State in focus, and also appreciated the Minister for all he is doing, saying, “We just had the opportunity to interact with some of the young people he has empowered previously, and this project is truly a step in the right direction for us.
“This aligns with our ongoing message – that, Plateau State is open to all forms of collaboration aimed at bringing development to our people. The young population of Plateau is also a key focus for Mr. President and, as a State Government, we are committed to creating the right environment for his policies and programs to thrive here,” she stated.