Nigeria’s telecoms regulator plans to use a new international accreditation won by the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) to help more citizens gain the skills needed to thrive in the online economy.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday when Robyn Fysh, a senior skills official at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), visited its headquarters. Her trip follows the ITU’s decision to name DBI a Digital Transformation Centre (DTC), linking the institute to a worldwide network of training bodies. DBI already serves as the ITU’s Digital Training Academy in Nigeria.
Representing the NCC’s chief executive, Dr. Aminu Maida, Engr. Babagana Digima, Director of Research and Development, welcomed Fysh and a DBI team led by its chief executive, David Daser.
He said the accreditation opens a fresh avenue for the three bodies to collaborate on training and inclusion, and expressed confidence it would widen access to quality instruction for poorer and marginalised groups.
Digima added that the regulator would keep working with federal agencies, state governments, donors and other partners so that no community is bypassed in Nigeria’s digital transformation.
Fysh praised the long-running cooperation between the ITU and the NCC. She explained that the scheme began in 2019 with Cisco and has trained over 870,000 people worldwide, more than half of them women, focusing on practical skills that improve employment, entrepreneurship and participation in the digital economy.
Daser thanked the NCC for backing the institute’s bid, revealing that DBI is now the first organisation anywhere to hold both ITU Academy Training Centre and Digital Transformation Centre status. He urged the Commission to lend its infrastructure, networks and contacts to extend training and certification to disadvantaged areas nationwide.
According to Daser, the effort supports the National Digital Literacy Framework, which targets 95 per cent digital literacy by 2030. He said reaching that goal requires closer collaboration and steady funding, and that the new status positions DBI to supply skilled workers for Nigeria and the wider continent.
