Nigerian ICT company, Zinox Technologies has secured US$2mn in funding to build digital hubs in various parts of the country
The funding secured from a group of trust investors will be used for building three digital hubs in Nigeria, as part of efforts to generate employment and increase the share of contribution from the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector to the west African country’s gross domestic product. The digital hubs are expected to start operations by 2017 and create more than 500 jobs.
Construction has already started on one of the digital hubs in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The company stated that this hub will create employment and empower thousands of digitally-minded Nigerian youths in search of the right platforms to develop their skills. The second hub in Abuja is nearing completion and will be operational by early 2017.
The announcement was made by Zinox Group chairman Leo Stan Ekeh during a visit by National Information Technology Development Agency acting director general Vincent Olatunji and other executives of the agency at the Zinox headquarters in Lagos.
“With the digital hubs we are looking to create the the much needed enabling environment and platform for more of our youths to develop their skills and capacities and unleash their creative abilities. This is part of our contribution to reducing the scrounge of unemployment and boosting the revenue earning streams of the government,” Ekeh said. He added that the Nigerian economy is in dire need of an alternative to crude oil, a role which the ICT sector can play effortlessly to boost the nation’s dwindling earnings.
During the visit Olatunji reiterated the commitment of the agency to work with Zinox to empower youth through the provision of requisite capacity building programmes and initiatives.
