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DTAC Urges ICT Graduates to Create Employment through Lessons Learnt from Agency’s Digital Initiative

Published

3 years ago

November 22, 2023

…As Programme Winds Up in Abuja
Joel Ajayi

Director-General of the Directorate of Technical Aid Corps,Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Yusuf Buba Yakub, has called on the participants of the just-ended ICT training at the Agency to strive to create employment rather than continue to wait for white-collar jobs that may not readily be available.

Buba,who spoke at the closing and certificate-presentation ceremonies for graduands of a 3-month training workshop of the Directorate of Technical Aid Corps in Abuja, Tuesday, said the training the participants had received was to prepare them for future life’s endeavours.

He promised to continue to provide more training opportunities in other areas where the participants could deploy the knowledge garnered to diverse areas and challenges of life.

The DTAC boss said: “I am sure that even from the age of 1 most of you here had begun to play with mobile phones and other electronic gadgets.

This is the direction the world is headed and we all must face that direction.This was why at the commencement of the programme I had challenged you all to make yourselves available and make the best of this time .I am certain today that since we flagged off this training you have learnt one or two lessons that will prove useful to you in the future.

“I encourage you to continue to deepen what you have learnt these past months, since these instructors will still be with us to guide you through whatever dark areas you may still be experiencing with regards to the programme. We will give you all the support you need to succeed. As you wait for white-collar jobs, learn to do things with your hands, it will make all the difference. I did the same thing in my time;and today the story is different.”

Speaking earlier to welcome participants and officers of DTAC to the event, the Ag. Director in-charge of Administration at the Agency, Shehu Mohammed described the outcome of the training programme as “heartwarming.”

He thanked Hon.Buba for what he said was the first-of-its-kind at the Agency and promised to make it a part of the Agency’s annual programme.

Also speaking, team-lead of the Strammed Ltd training group, Ubong Anye , thanked DTAC for the opportunity to showcase what he and his array of instructors could achieve when offered the desired platform. He said the programme was designed to run in-person in a classroom situation for five weeks after which the trainees would be exposed to the practical aspects of the training for the rest of the three-month period.

However, Certificates of participation were later presented to graduands of the training programme by the Director-General of the Agency, Rt. Hon. Buba. Over fifty graduands, including Corps Members and staff of both the Media and ICT Units of the Agency, were among those who graduated from the programme. Hillary Tyato Greno and Shuaib Muhammad Dazhi, who spoke on behalf of others, thanked the Management of DTAC for the knowledge received.They promised to use the knowledge of Digital Content Creation and Marketing Tools received to promote the Agency and enhance their livelihoods.

Apart from the Agency’s DG and the Ag. Director of Administration, who played various roles on the occasion, other members of the DTAC Management present were:Amb. Mohammed Mohammed, Director of Programmes;Mr. Idris Saidu, Ag. Director, Finance and Accounts as well as Mrs Rahila Ayuba Kaura, Ag. Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, among others.

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AWESSA 2026: Customs Assures Border Cooperation for Women Entrepreneurs

Published

4 hours ago

October 25, 2026

The Gleamer

By James Samuel, Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service has said the nation’s borders must become gateways of opportunity for African women entrepreneurs, not obstacles that kill their businesses.

This was disclosed at the African Women’s Economic Sovereignty Summit and Awards (AWESSA) 2026 held at the Customs House, corporate headquarters of the Nigeria Customs Service in Abuja.

Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, his representative, an Assistant Controller, said hosting the summit inside Customs premises was deliberate.

“That this summit holds within the Customs premises is no accident. It is a statement of intent,” he said.

“The border is where the promise of every African trader either comes alive or dies quietly. And the men and women of this Service have resolved that for every woman entrepreneur of this continent, that promise will never die.”

He said women account for an estimated 70% of informal cross-border trade in Africa and over half of agricultural labour, yet they face documentation, standards, finance and harassment challenges.

“Too often she meets the border as an obstacle rather than a gateway. Because she trades in small volumes, in cash, in informality without formal papers, capable business women are now trapped in informality, invisible to trade statistics,” he noted.

He added: “AfCFTA will not be delivered by treaties alone. It will be delivered at border posts, in conference halls, and in market stores.”

Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, represented by a Director, said women are central to Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.

According to her, NEPC’s focus is now on building export- ready competitive enterprises through programmes like the Women in Export Initiative, Export Clinic, and Zero to Export.

“Our focus is no longer on encouraging exports alone, it is on building competitive export-ready enterprises. We are supporting women to move beyond production into value addition, quality assurance, standard compliance, branding and market positioning,” she said.

She said AfCFTA offers a market of over one billion people, but women need knowledge, certifications and institutional support.

“Empowering women economically is one of the most effective tools for achieving poverty reduction, food security, job creation and inclusive growth,” she stated.

The Convener, Helen Okon, who is the Publisher of Business Review Africa & Africa Today Magazine, as well as representatives of NAFDAC DG and NEXIM Bank MD, reaffirmed commitment to supporting women-owned businesses access standards, certification and finance.

The summit, with the theme of positioning women as drivers of trade and sustainable development, is part of activities marking the International Year of the Women Farmer.

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