DevNet Monthly Meeting People Against Drug Dependence and Ignorance Matori, Lagos, NIGERIA. 31 July ‘Gbenga Sesan Junior Achievement of Nigeria ICTs and Youth Development

OVERVIEW  ICTs: A New Definition  YOUTH: Bridge and Leader  Youth Empowerment and Inclusion  Youth-led and Youth-friendly efforts  Focus on the Lagos Digital Village  Conclusion

ICTs: A New Definition 1.Information and Communication Technologie s 2.Convergence of Communications, Computers, Consumer Electronics and Content 3.Old and New Media: Town crier, newspapers, radio, television, Internet, 3G mobile phones, GPRS etc 4.ICTs drive the New Economy and has both positive and negative effects, depending on which side of the divide you’re on 5.ICTs can be engaged at all levels to leapfrog and provide a sustainable economy

YOUTH: Bridge and Leader 1.Youthfulness promises STRENGTH, ADVENTURE and CONTINUITY 2.Young people form the bridge between today and tomorrow 3.Youths are leaders in ICT policy, processes and application globally 4.If young people are equipped and involved, tomorrow is assured and today is safe – “…area boy turned computer geek!” 5.ICTs are powerful but need human resources – young people form the major percentage of world population

Youth Empowerment and Inclusion 1.“Equip an adult and you’ve saved a life, help a young person and you’ve empowered a generation” 2.The concept of peer pressure works in spreading knowledge, e.g. Certifications 3.Involved youth can increase efficiency if empowered, e.g. unique student projects in Nigerian universities 4.Serious nations consider youth empowerment and inclusion a major task/responsibility 5.We need to plug the likely holes that can pluck youths – HIV/AIDS, Unemployment, Poverty, Illiteracy, etc, etc

Youth-led and Youth- friendly efforts 1.eGovernance for in-school adolescents in West Africa, DevNet 2.African Youth Initiative, 3.World Summit on the Information Society Youth Caucus, Nigerian Youth Summit on the Information Society 5.Lagos Digital Village, Junior Achievement of Nigeria

Focus on the Lagos Digital Village 1.Lagos Digital Village is Junior Achievement of Nigeria’s response to the issue of ICT and Youth Development in Nigeria 2.VISION: A new generation of Nigerian youths who are equipped with appropriate ICT skills and are thus positioned for Personal Development, Nation Building, Regional Cooperation and Global Participation 3.JAN is partnering with Microsoft and Lagos State Government – a multistakeholder partnership model 4.LDV will help train 1,500 youths and connect them with mentors and opportunities

CONCLUSION “I see a new Nigeria emerging, one that will be built on the labours of our heroes past, hewn out of the debris of the present waste and engineered by the strength of the future leaders: the youth. These young men and women will adopt Information Technology for the purpose of personal development, nation building, regional cooperation and global participation. They may be unknown today, but in the secrecy of their abode, they master the tool that will change their lives and that of their nation. They're building the nation’s tomorrow today ”