Waliu Oyeniran Oyekale: Digital Technology Must Serve Human Development

Participants are interested in practical applications: how specific technologies can be used in the economy, public administration and international cooperation. Waliu Oyeniran Oyekale, a Nigerian expert who works to develop the IT sector and strengthen Africa’s digital infrastructure, spoke to the IT Russia media platform about his participation in the event.

– I’m an IT expert and technical professional from Nigeria. We work to promote IT standards across Africa, develop national IT sectors and strengthen the continent’s digital infrastructure.

One of our main priorities right now is training qualified professionals. We run educational programs and training courses for young professionals so they can compete not only in the African market but around the world.

Nigeria’s economy is growing rapidly, and we want to strengthen its position internationally. To do that, we need highly qualified professionals with a solid educational foundation. We want to prepare for future challenges and make the economy more resilient, even if conditions worsen.

Nigeria has a very young population: half the country’s residents are under 18. This gives us enormous potential, but we need to develop it. Young people must have access to education and leave school with skills they can use throughout their careers.

That’s why we place particular emphasis on digital literacy, teaching young people IT skills and how to work with artificial intelligence. But we can’t focus on technology alone. People must remain at the center of our efforts, because sustainable economic development and preserving the progress we’ve already made depend on human potential.

I appeal to the forum’s organizers to keep bringing people and countries together. International cooperation helps develop human potential, strengthen education systems and address today’s challenges collectively. We must avoid division. Countries need to support one another and work together to find solutions to shared problems.

One of the topics we discussed at the forum was the development of artificial intelligence and its impact on employment. Technology creates new opportunities, but we also need to preserve jobs. That means rethinking education so that school graduates acquire the basic knowledge and skills they need to enter the workforce. Nigeria is working toward this goal and will continue to promote digital literacy among schoolchildren and the population as a whole.

We need to move from 20th-century education to 21st-century education. Today, distance-learning technologies allow students and teachers to interact from different parts of the world. The old model, in which students simply sat at their desks and listened to a teacher, no longer meets all of today’s needs. Teachers should act more as mentors, helping students apply what they learn and interact with peers from other countries.

We also need to understand which skills are in demand today. First, we must assess existing skill levels and establish minimum requirements for each profession. Alongside basic professional knowledge, people need to develop critical thinking, creativity and communication skills, including the ability to work with generative AI.

Professionals also need to understand how businesses operate and what opportunities exist for starting their own companies. IT is essential in almost every field, from developing computer games such as Minecraft and working in architecture to running restaurants and hotels. We must also keep cybersecurity in mind. All these areas need to be integrated into education to prepare competitive professionals for the 21st-century economy.

I would also like to stress the importance of partnership between Nigeria and Russia. Our countries need to strengthen cooperation, including in education, and work together to develop modern education systems. This message needs to reach the world: Nigeria and Russia are partners who want to work together.

Education should be built around digital technology and equip people with skills that are genuinely in demand in the labor market. People shouldn’t spend 10 years in school and another six years in college only to graduate with skills that have already become outdated. Graduates need to be ready for the demands of today’s labor market.

This will help our countries move forward and maintain their positions. I know Russia is working toward the same goal. Let’s work together to improve people’s lives around the world.