‘Ya Dai’ anti-kidnapping app for launch 2021

Ya Dai Communications Technologies, an anti-kidnapping application is slated to be launched in 2021.

The app, Daily Trust gathered will alert guardians when a loved one is kidnapped.

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According to the creator of the app, Umar Sani Bello who spoke with Daily Trust at the opening of a two-day workshop organised by the KAD ICT Hub in Kaduna, said “Essentially, what the app does is, if a victim is kidnapped, the app will alert a loved one or a guardian. So the person alerted will know where the person is and if they can share the information with security agencies, it will help them coordinate and rescue the victim.”

He added, “We are in the data testing phase, we have been fortunate to her about 1000 people to test it for us. We are hoping to launch the app sometime in mid to end of 2021.”

He called on government to show support and push the app to educate Nigerians on the benefits of the app in order to engage them on how they can keep themselves safe.

The Chief Executive Officer, KAD ICT Hub, Yusuf Bashir said the KAD ICT Hub in partnership with the French Development Agency (FDA) will train one million residents in Kaduna State in four years, on Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Bashir added that the efforts would create 200,000 jobs in the next four years.

He said that the training would be conducted under the Educational Technology Implementation Plan Project with the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning.

He explained that the project was in line with the Nigerian Innovation and ICT Entrepreneurship Vision by building the digital capacity of the Nigerian population to boost employment of youths in the country.

“To this end, the KAD ICT Hub and AFD digital skills acquisition programmes for young residents of Kaduna state as a pilot project,” he said.

He identified the target beneficiaries to include youths, especially students in primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions, and those various income groups, with emphasis on low-income demography.

He added that other beneficiaries would be graduates, out of school or dropouts, young unemployed adults with keen interest to develop ICT skills to have better access to employment.

“This initiative will contribute to preparing the current and next generation of youths in Kaduna state for entrepreneurship and secure fulfilling 21st century jobs in the technology sector.

“The training will be conducted via online platforms and 46 ICT centres that would be established, two in each of the 23 local government areas of the state,” Bashir added.

Acting Director, Economic Growth Department, Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning. Mr. Aso Vakporaye, said that Nigeria has the largest online market in Africa.

Vakporaye, who was represented by Mr. Olusoyi Fatuyi, a Deputy Director in the ministry, said that the country’s online market worth has grown from 104 million dollars in 2014 to 1,007 million dollars in 2019.

He described the digital industry as the future of the nation’s economy and as such requires more commitment from relevant stakeholders to strengthen the digital economy to tap its full potential.

Mr. Paolo Lesbordes of the FDA said that the initiative was to encourage economic growth and employment in the countr.

“We hope that the study would demonstrate the potential of the digital industry being championed by KAD ICT Hub, in boosting employment in the state,” he said.