Google Africa on Tuesday, August 15, committed to supporting Nigeria’s quest to create digital jobs for its population.
Speaking during a meeting with Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima in Abuja, Mr Olumide Balogun- the Director of Google West Africa commended President Bola Tinubu’s efforts towards creating one million digital jobs and announced that Google would commit $1.6 million toward supporting the efforts to leverage the digital economy for jobs.
Furthermore, the Google Executive divulged plans to roll out an initiative aimed at offering training in digital skills to 20,000 women and youth in the country.
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Moreover, the initiative, according to Nigeria’s State House, will be facilitated through a grant from Google’s philanthropic arm to “Mind the Gap” in partnership with Data Science Nigeria and the Creative Industry Initiative for Africa.
Google Africa Unlocking potential
On his part, Google Africa’s Director of Government Relations and Public Policy, Mr Charles Murito, assured that the company will continue to support growth of digital infrastructure across Africa to unlock the technology-driven economy.
Murito underscored the importance of anchoring Nigeria as Africa’s leader in the digital economy noting that “Google cannot achieve its vision and objectives if it doesn’t cover Nigeria effectively.”
In his speech, Vice President Shettima expressed his gratitude to Google for supporting Nigeria’s quest for digital jobs and urged other companies to emulate the giant tech company.
Similarly, VP affirmed that Tinubu’s administration was keen on delivering change in the country in all means including partnering with like-minded partners such as Google.
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“Let’s think outside the box and create more job opportunities,” the VP noted
“Nigeria is ready for business. The President that we have now wants to leave a legacy that Nigerians will be proud of many years after,” the VP explained.