PROWIBO Focuses on Digital Skills

Nigeria’s future workforce must be proficient in digital technology, along with leadership capacity, to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world, especially as it taps into the potential of its youthful population. An international training initiative in Lagos has been told.

Educational content oriented towards developing digital skills was, therefore, a focus of the University of Lagos (Unilag) and Professors Without Borders’ (PROWIBO) fourth annual PROWIBO Academy Training Programme, from July 21-25 at Unilag’s law faculty.

This year, the UK-based charity focused on improving equitable access to education. It brought together 75 students and 40 academic and non-academic staff from various Unilag faculties for intensive workshops themed ‘Empowering Digital Transformation: Leadership, Innovation & Sustainability’. With digital skills seen as a vital asset in today’s constantly evolving job markets, the event offered workshops focusing on artificial intelligence, research methods, leadership, finance for Africa and digital tools. For Nigeria, where 70% of its population is under 30, equipping youth with relevant digital skills is seen as a key priority by its higher education institutions.

“This programme has taught me so much about the African economy. That was something I had very little knowledge about before this. I now feel very knowledgeable and very inspired to start thinking of solutions that can help us as a country,” Kamsiyochukwu Nwokoro, a second-year law student, told University World News at the end of the programme. “AI [artificial intelligence] tools were used in various classes throughout the entire programme. So, [AI] tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT came in handy during the training.” Another participant, Nnamani Collins, a third-year adult education student, explained how the programme unlocked practical skills.

“We gained computer skills and leadership skills – and learned how to prepare for interviews, create cover letters, and develop surveys for research,” he told University World News, noting that knowledge generated from the training programme on how to develop research questions and surveys will help him in the fourth year of his degree course, when he will be working on his project.

On applying these skills beyond the classroom, he added that knowledge developed about public finance and creating apps will be helpful in post-education work: “I can think of creating an app,” he said, focused on “problems that need to be addressed, which might be highlighted by education. And, on the government aspect, I now have an idea of how things work in Nigeria in terms of allocating the budget. So, in case I am allowed to apply for grants or I find myself in any political position, with the knowledge I now have, it will help me.”