FG Set To Train 500,000-Youths In Artificial Intelligence And Robotics

FG Set To Train 500,000-Youths In Artificial Intelligence And Robotics

In a bid to empower youths for self-employment, and promote technical and entrepreneurship skills, the federal government will train over 500,000 youths across the country on Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Technical Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, Abiola Arogundade, disclosed this in Abuja while distributing laptops and online course licenses to 50 students of Government Science and Technical College, Area 3, Garki Abuja.

She noted that the initiative which is with the approval of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and in concert with the private sector is to upscale the skill of the nation’s workforce from the current level of 15 percent to 50 percent as part of the mandate of her office by the President.

The Presidential aide said the distribution of the laptops and online courses essentially in robotics and artificial intelligence was the pilot scheme under the initiative, adding that plans were afoot to extend the programme to all the parts of the country.

Under the scheme, Arogundade said the students are expected to learn the basic skills of Artificial Intelligence and robotics online for six months.

Addressing newsmen after the presentation, the presidential aide said: “Today we are giving 50 students online course outlines. 25 of them are for artificial intelligence and the remaining 25 will be robotics. The online courses will last for six months.

“We also gave them laptops. We have installed the software for them to do the courses for six months. You will go from stage one to stage two. After stage each, you will have to pass the exams which are like a quiz to get to the next stage. So it is for six months, and after six months you get your certification. After you finish the course, we will give you the tools to be able to make money.

“We are trying to promote Technical education across the country. If you look at countries like Germany, the USA, Korea, and Japan, they are going really far and vast with robotics and artificial intelligence. So it’s about time that we too catch up with that.

“Next, we will be going to Yaba College of Technology to give out laptops and some courses. Under this initiative, we intend to capture 500,000 youths across the country,” she stated.

Director of Technical and Vocational Education in the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Engr. Mohammed Yusuf who stood in for the Executive Secretary of the board advised the students chosen for the programme to be focused adding that the federal government was committed to encouraging entrepreneurship education to take the future generation to the next level.

Representative of the private sector partner, Lorenzo, one of the facilitators of this project, Professor Babatunde Alao, emphasized the importance of Artificial Intelligence.

“Without AI today, one will be in another world. So that’s the reason why we say look, Nigeria is the hub for the rest of Africa. Like they say in every five black men you find around the world, there will be one Nigerian and we say, let’s take it upon ourselves in a joint venture with Lorenzo International and White Cloud and with the office of SSA to the President on Vocational Studies to take this move.”

The Principal of the school, Dr. James Kuta Musa appreciated the presidential aide for considering students of the school for such a project and advised the benefiting students to take advantage of the programme and the working tools given to them.