By Olabisi Olaleye [email protected] 08094000013, 08111813040
Google has said digital entrepreneurship is a great way for Nigeria to create more jobs.
According to the digital platform company during its conference in Lagos last week, when in 2016 it announced plans to create free digital skills training for one million African young people, over half of the number came from different regions of Nigeria.
Google also disclosed that access to information was increasing daily and by 2022, over six billion smartphones would be subscribed to because people want tinformation about their communities. Nigeria is projected to be among the leading countries.
Google’s chief executive officer, Mr. Sundar Pichal, who pledged to invest $3 million as free equity funding in Africa before the end of this quarter, also said Google would train 10 million Nigerians in the next five years in preparation for a digital economy.
The CEO, who was visiting Nigeria for the first time said a the event that it became pertinent to support Africa, especially Nigeria, because of the talents that abound, saying, “The free funding would help start-ups to achieve their dreams and further help increase the GDP of the economy, which currently stands at 10 per cent.”
Google would train over 100,000 software developers who would further adapt content for indigenous use.
“Basically, Google’s initiatives would focuse on digital skills training, education and economic opportunity, and support for African start-ups and developers,” he said.
Pichai declared that the future was bright for Nigeria because the improved products from Google, which include YouTube, Search and Maps, have been tested in Nigeria, first in Africa and second after India.
Meanwhile, Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, in his goodwill message at the Google event, said the federal government was interested in availing itself of opportunities provided by Google to train technology-savvy youths in various aspects of ICT. This, would further open up the accessibility of turning around the nation’s economy and making ICT the mainstay.
“Nigeria as a nation has so much more to learn and gain from the digital revolution being championed by Google,” Shittu said.
The minister stressed that the efforts and commitment of Google Nigeria to implement ambitious reforms that would bring about macroeconomic stability in the context of the country’s ongoing Smart Digital Nigeria transition process are bearing results and have laid the foundation for a credible path to fiscal sustainability and collaboration.
Speaking earlier, Google Nigeria’s country manager, Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, said by 2034 Africa is expected to have the world’s largest working-age population of 1.1 billion, yet only 3 to 4 million jobs are created annually.
“That means there’s an urgent need to create opportunities for the millions of people on the continent who are creative, smart and driven to succeed. The Internet and technology as a whole offer great opportunities for creating jobs, growing businesses and boosting economies. But people need the right skills, tools and products to navigate the digital world and to make it work for them, their businesses and their communities”.
During his demonstration, VP, product management, search access to information, Mr. Tamar Yehoshua, said the most popular searches online include naira (economy), Runtown’s “Mad Over You,” and Anthony Joshua.
He said access was driven by content and Google wanted to make finding information very easy.
On data, VP, product management, YouTube, Johanna Wright, disclosed that Google was aware that the cost of data was among factors hindering people from watching YouTube and is an issue that is being resolved .
“A country that loves music, history, entertainment is a huge market for YouTube and the organisation will continuously work with original equipment manufacturers to develop devices for Africans, especially Nigerians for $40 smartphone.
“Faster broadband would improve Africans’ lives and innovation, because Google doesn’t just build platforms, but ecosystems for other companies and start-ups to leverage on. Android is the largest tech ecosystem in the world today. In nine years it grew from one phone to two billion across the world”.
Director, Google Maps, Mr. Suren Ruhela, added that thousands of new addresses, including businesses, commercial or residential, are now on the map, saying, “Google Street View is now in Nigeria.”