Zamfara launches digital literacy roadmap to drive e-governance, commerce

Zamfara has launched a comprehensive Digital Literacy Framework (ZDLF) in a move it says is aimed at empowering citizens with essential digital skills for economic growth, e-governance, and innovation.

The ZDLF aims to institutionalise digital learning and ICT integration across education, public service, and commerce sectors.

A high-level stakeholder engagement on the ZDLF was held on Wednesday at the Garba Nadama Hall, JB Yakubu Secretariat in Gusau.

Sulaiman Bala Idris, spokesperson for the Zamfara governor, said the event brought together key federal institutions, development partners, lawmakers, academia, and private sector players to review and enrich the draft framework.

In his keynote address, Governor Dauda Lawal described the framework as a “bold roadmap to a digitally inclusive future” his administration’s plans to fully implement.

“Today marks a significant milestone in our collective journey to redefine the developmental pathway of Zamfara State through digital empowerment, innovation, and inclusive access to information and communication technology,” Lawal stated.

The governor emphasised the framework as a “practical and strategic response to a long-standing need to equip our people with the capacity to function and grow in an increasingly digital world”.

He said digital literacy plays a key role in productivity, job creation, quality service delivery, and national relevance.

He acknowledged that the state “cannot afford to remain on the margins of a technology-driven global order”.

In the framework, Lawal envisioned a state where “every student is digitally competent, every civil servant has essential digital skills for governance, and entrepreneurs or local traders are equipped to expand their businesses and access larger markets”.

He highlighted ongoing initiatives, including a partnership with Oracle Corporation to train 3,000 youth in Cloud 2 Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Database Management.

Through Oracle Academy, tertiary institutions in the state will receive support to produce industry-relevant graduates.

Lawal said work has commenced on the Zamfara Institute of Information Technology (ZIIT) in Gusau, which is envisioned as a regional centre of excellence for hands-on ICT education and fostering homegrown innovation.

The goal, he said, is to “bridge the digital divide and position Zamfara as the emerging ICT centre of northern Nigeria.”

Earlier, the Secretary to the Zamfara State Government, Mallam Abubakar Nakwada, in his welcome address, expressed the state’s resolve to position Zamfara as a leader in digital transformation in Northern Nigeria.

Ikra Aliyu Bilbis (representing Zamfara Central) and chairman of the senate committee on communications and digital economy, commended Zamfara for its leadership in digital inclusion, particularly as national development increasingly hinges on it.

He donated 300 computers to ZITDA to support its digital transformation drive across MDAs.

At the event, Habib Gajam, executive secretary of the Zamfara Information Technology Development Agency (ZITDA), further provided an overview of the ZDLF.

He described it as a strategic and people-centred document organised around four primary outcomes.

Key federal digital institutions represented at the engagement included the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Galaxy Backbone, and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

Also represented were the Nigerian Communications Satellite and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).