IBM Invests $30m in Nigeria

• IBM Invests $30m in Nigeria

The International Business Machine says that the lack of skills, employable workers, especially in the Information Technology sector, has prompted it to invest $30m in creating new jobs for about 10 million Nigerians.

It said in a statement that it would also be spending another $40m to create “new collar” jobs for 15 million Africans.

According to the firm, it is putting its money where its “mouth is,” by investing $70m in the initiative, tagged ‘Digital – Nation Africa’, to help train African youths in digital, cloud and cognitive IT skills.

“IBM sees effective, high quality IT education as a key driver of economic vitality in Nigeria, and Africa in general. Through access to open standards, best practices, IBM tools and course materials, the broad scope of this initiative will enable vital skills development”, the Country General Manager for IBM South Africa, Hamilton Ratshefola, said.

“In order to find solutions to Nigeria and the continent’s challenges, industries across the spectrum need to enable the existing and future workforce to perform at the forefront of technologies such as cognitive and cloud computing. This will be the key to spurring economic growth,” he said.

Ratshefola added, “About 25 million African youths will benefit from the initiative, free of charge. The initiative is part of IBM’s global push to equip workers with skills that do not necessarily require a college degree. The firm calls this ‘New Collar’ careers.”