WOLE BALOGUN, Ado Ekiti

An expert in Information Technology, Segun Oke, who heads a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Bridgewaters, has perfected a technological project he says will  guarantee over 10,000 jobs for youths in Ekiti State and Ekiti and elsewhere.

Tagged: ‘Automate Ekiti,’ the project is a digital skills-acquisition/empowerment  programme for youths and others in Ekiti and indigenes of the state in Lagos.

Oye-Ekiti born Mr. Segun Oke, is the brain behind the project.

Oke, a philanthropist and digital technology expert, told newsmen in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday that his plan to automate Ekiti with a broad-based digital empowerment was borne out of his desire to contribute his quota to warding off poverty from Africa. As the saying goes, charity begins at home, Oke is starting the empowerment programme from Ekiti, his home base.

He then revealed his projection for the future, saying: “Five years from now, we would have equipped about 10,000 youths with digital skills such as artificial intelligence, robotics, programming, motion animation, cyber security, project management etc.

“We will train 70,000 elderly residents in better use of gadgets and the internet.

“We will train 20,000 children in Programming Robotics, Motion Animation and other digital skills, midwife the establishment of 1,000 starts-up businesses in Ekiti in the next five years, transform job seekers to job creators and create 20,000 jobs, assist 5,000 youths to get gainful employment in the innovation and technology ecosystem within and outside the country, and spur the generation of  an estimate of N15billion in revenue from these start-ups, automated 100 public service/social activities within Ekiti to upscale productivity,” Oke said.

Expressing his worries about youths, Oke said: “In most African countries, the youths constitute the highest percent of the total population and more than 60% of the population live in rural and semi-urban communities, Unfortunately, youths from these communities are socially excluded from the digital revolution the big cities have, and they are cut off from the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem.

“We at Bridgewaters are asking ‘Isn’t there a better approach to accelerate Africa’s development? Isn’t there a way to create abundance from the challenges we face? Can we help make governance more effective?” Are there alternatives to creating employment and raising our productivity?’ We think there are better alternatives.”