The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), with support from the MacArthur Foundation, has established a Digital Training Hub for People with Disabilities (PWDs) in Kano State.
The initiative aims to train 300 PWDs over the next year, including individuals who are visually and hearing impaired, albinos, and those with spinal cord injuries.
In his remarks, the Country Director of the MacArthur Foundation Nigeria, Dr. Kole Ahmed Shettima, emphasized the importance of equipping PWDs with the necessary knowledge in today’s globalized world.
“With a population of 30-40 million PWDs in Nigeria, if they are left behind, it means that those who could move the nation forward are not knowledgeable, so we have to start from somewhere,” he noted.
The Executive Director of CITAD, Engineer Yunusa Zakari Ya’u, highlighted that the pilot lab was established to address the digital needs of PWDs and to promote inclusion. He stressed the United Nations’ declaration that no one should be left behind digitally, especially as education increasingly moves online.
“We looked around and saw that most of our primary and secondary schools lack facilities to train PWDs. That is why we set up the lab—to train them and enable them to pass the knowledge on to the younger generation,” said Yunusa.
He also mentioned that by establishing this pilot digital lab, CITAD hopes to inspire other organizations to take similar steps to promote inclusion.
The Senior Special Assistant on ICT to the Kano State Governor, Alhaji Yusuf Ibrahim, revealed that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has approved the establishment of CBT ICT centers across the state’s 44 local government areas.
“309 million naira will be spent to establish the pilot CBT center, where PWDs will be given due consideration,” he stated.
Speaking on behalf of the trainees, Malam Ibrahim Abdulkarim praised CITAD for the initiative, noting that it has brought people with special needs into the spotlight within the ICT sector.
He appealed to the MacArthur Foundation to provide CITAD with advanced equipment, such as braille touch and braille embossers, for the visually impaired, and urged the Kano State Government to include PWDs in all ICT-related activities.
“I am also appealing for the provision of laptops for PWDs to enable us to practice what we have learned, and for certificates at the end of the training to help us enter the job market in information and communication technology,” he added.
Each group of PWDs will undergo eight weeks of training. The digital lab is equipped with computers, screen magnifiers, braille displays, braille keyboards, screen readers, Perkins braillers, and other essential tools.
