By Blessing Olaifa,The Nation
Copyright thenationonlineng
Stakeholders in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Telecommunications sector have called on the Federal Government to strengthen the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) to effectively tackle skill gaps in the industry.
The call was made during a Stakeholders’ Consultative Forum on Digital Skill Gaps in the Telecom Value Chain, organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Lagos.
Participants at the forum stressed that instead of establishing a new National Telecom Academy, the DBI should be adequately funded, empowered, and given an expanded mandate to deliver practical training for industry growth.
Speaking at the event themed “Bridging the Telecom Value Chain Skill Gap: Empowering Indigenous Talents for Industry Growth,” Vice President, Nigeria Infrastructure Fund at the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Abraham Durosawo, said the DBI had performed well but needed further strengthening.
He urged that the institute’s scope and mandate be expanded while attracting more investors and shareholders with the capacity and interest to grow the sector.
According to Durosawo, “The solution to address widening telecom skill gaps in Nigeria lies in strengthening the DBI, rather than establishing a new National Telecom Academy.”
The forum brought together operators, regulators, manufacturers, academia, start-ups, development partners, government agencies, and state representatives, all of whom agreed on the need to reposition the DBI as the primary hub for telecom skills development in Nigeria.
He said, “The Digital Bridge Institute’s mandates and scope should be examined and expanded to contain some of the gaps we have seen in the market. It has done an excellent job; we just need to strengthen it.
“The shareholders of DBI should be expanded; we need to bring in investors who are thinking of long-term investment, who have the capital, and who are interested in the industry to come on board. I also want to encourage those in the industry to be shareholders there (DBI).
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“The last one is about investments. Speaking of the academy, I want to differ. Why do we need a National Telecom Academy when we can strengthen the DBI?”
Other speakers at the forum include the President of the ATCON, Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere; the Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo; and the NCC’s Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Mr. Edoyemi Ogoh, who represented the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida.
They all agreed that skill shortage was one of the most pressing challenges across Nigeria’s digital economy.
“Our industry faces a shortage of skilled professionals in vital areas, including Research and Funding Engineering, fiber planning, cybersecurity, data center operations, and project management,” Mr. Emoekpere, the ATCON President said.
Also, Adebayo, the chairman of ALTON, who stressed the need for mid-level skills, said the DBI should integrate more practical training, with operators sponsoring campuses, offering scholarships, certifications, and job pathways to strengthen retention.
“These so-called small skills are critical. In four years, I lost 12 skilled technicians in my company to Canada, Germany, the U.S, and the UK. It’s not just about training them, but retaining them with better incentives and social guarantees,” he said.
