Move beyond exams, equip students with digital skills – NITDA DG tells Educators
The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has challenged Nigerian educators to move beyond examination-focused teaching and equip young people with practical digital skills that can translate into jobs, innovation and economic growth.
Inuwa made the call at the English West and Central Africa Instructor Safari Conference 2026 in Abuja, where he stressed that the ability to learn continuously, solve complex problems and adapt to technological change would increasingly determine success in the future workplace.
Drawing from his personal experience, the NITDA chief executive, an alumnus of Cisco Networking Academy, explained how digital skills training helped shape his professional journey, opening opportunities that enabled him to transition from website development to network engineering.
He said the experience demonstrated that technology education should go beyond theoretical knowledge and examinations to develop competencies that learners can apply in real-life situations.
Inuwa urged instructors to prioritise hands-on training, critical thinking, root-cause analysis, systems thinking and leadership, noting that these transferable skills would help young Nigerians remain competitive as technology continues to transform industries.
Meanwhile, Cisco West Africa General Manager, Abdulaziz Saeed, highlighted the scale of Cisco Networking Academy’s contribution to digital education, reporting that approximately 1.4 million Nigerian students had been reached since the programme began in 1997.
Saeed said the programme had reached approximately 30 million students across 105 countries globally, with about 6.5 million active students in fiscal year 2026.
He also underscored the importance of digital infrastructure, accessible education and industry-relevant training, noting that collaboration among government, educational institutions, international organisations and the private sector was vital to bridging the digital divide.
