The Khalil Suleiman Halilu (KSH) Foundation has called on the federal government to commit more to digitization as the world is fast moving from analogue in solving social problems, stressing that there is a dire need for policies that can attract investment in the development of technology in the country.
Its founder, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, made the call Saturday in Abuja during its debut program “EveryGirl” designed specifically for young women entrepreneurs between the ages of 15-19 with an interest in tech and tech-related fields, as well as innovative and sustainable ideas.
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According to Halilu, the “Everygirl” programme aims to empower young girls by educating them on digital learning skills, tech-related courses, and self-confidence, providing them with enablement, as well as giving them access to mentors and possibly funding to scale their ideas.
He noted that there is a huge gap in channelling technology products that would solve social problems in Africa, stressing that Nigeria as a foremost tech-based country in Africa should encourage more of its citizens, especially the youth to create tech innovations that will enable faster growth of the country.
“I believe that African problems will be fixed with African solutions and this is why we do our own beat as a foundation to encourage young people, especially girls by providing the support and mentorship for them to build more solutions.
“The Nigeria government is doing quite a lot but I believe it is not just a government thing, individuals, businessmen, traditional rulers and the likes have to contribute their beats to this development, ” he said.
“The key thing government should do is create enabling policies that will attract investment in technology development for people to be able to thrive.
“Government should support startups that are building technology products so that they can move faster and build more products,” he stressed.
Earlier, Project Coordinator, Farida Yahaya, said the project was specifically for girls to encourage them to have more interest in technology, enlighten them to overcome low self-esteem and make them know they can also achieve greater heights in any career they choose.
Team Lead of the project, Tina Okpechi, explained that it was important for girls to know the importance of tech in the daily basic routine, adding that coding is not as difficult as is assumed.
One of the eight beneficiaries, Aisha Ahmad Tjani, said the training exposed her to the use of technology for business.
While urging the government to move from analogue to fully digital, she added that most businesses don’t value databases and that is why she was encouraged to create software to store necessary data of her clients and made her business easier to manage.
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