By Clement A. Oloyede,
At least 50 Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) have been engaged in a training programme on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) that will see them equipped to compete favourably in the tech industry.
The training, which is being carried out by an international organisation, Sightsavers in Nigeria and Ghana, in collaboration with the federal government-owned Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), is further aimed at addressing the marginalisation of PWDs in the ever-evolving tech industry.
The Country Director of Sightsavers in Nigeria and Ghana, Sunday Isiyaku, while flagging off the training in Kano, said the training would be for nine months in Kano and Lagos, with 25 PWDs drawn different states in the north staying in Kano and the other drawn from different in South settling in Lagos, and that it would equip the trainees with IT skills for organisations which were also inclusive in hiring PWDs, while noting that on its part it would explore opportunities to secure internship or jobs for the PWDs.
He noted that this showed how Public-Private Partnership (PPP) could help remove barriers that denied people with disabilities from meaningfully participating, benefitting and contributing to their local economies.
He further said, “While we help remove all disability-related barriers for people with disabilities to learn equally, one overarching goal for us is to ensure the academy becomes a source for a pool of IT talents with disabilities for employers.
“We are partnering with other organiSations that are inclusive in hiring persons with disabilities. We are going to be exploring opportunities or avenues where they are available to fix graduates of this programme in employment where available be it an internship or formal employment.”
