Youth Empowerment through Digital

Revolution

NACOSS National ConventionLadoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, NIGERIA

Friday, November 7 2003

‘Gbenga Sesanme@gbengasesan.com | www.gbengasesan.com

A Revolution is Here

The Unknown -> Pre-civilization -> Agricultural -> Industrial -> Information … Revolutions always bear the mark of a “core existence”. Information rules!

“Africa must get onboard… Right now! … Africa will be either on to the Information Age or off to the dark Agricultural Age … Africa is suffering from knowledge apartheid that forces its children to eat the crumbs from the dinner table of the information-affluent nations.” - Philip Emeagwali

No man/woman can stand in the way of an idea whose time has come. The New Economy is driven by INFORMATION and it is only wise to be appropriately positioned regardless of the barriers we see or claim

The Digital Revolution is a case of “0”s and “1”s – you’re either there or NOT

Realities of a Divide

The Digital Divide exists – within and between nations and people-groups. The Digital Divide is the GAP that exists between the technologically advanced and the technologically backward

The only way out of this side of the divide is to get to the other side! Compassion, constituency, or even Federal Character will not work in any one’s favour

The Digital Divide impacts negatively on the economy, livelihood, productivity, personal values and much more. It is like a virus that brings a “web of woes” - widening in certain places BUT also being bridged in some others. Malaysia and India are sample nations that have taken actionable steps towards bridging the Digital Divide

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is a step in this direction of bridging the Digital Divide

WSIS: Closing the Gap

World Summit on Information Society is being organized by the United Nations and will be held in two phases. The Summit will bring together all the world’s nations to develop a global framework to deal with the challenges posed by the information society, and fully and equally take advantage of the opportunities it presents

World Summit? YES. But Nigeria is highly involved. The delegation is led by NITDA, please see www.nitda.org

Nigerian youth are involved in the process. The recently concluded Policy Train and Jara’s visit are visible signs of that. Please see www.ycdo.net/policy/wsis-nigeria

You can get involved today! Get all the information you need at the Nigerian Youth Caucus page or request for the Nigerian Youth Caucus postcard, which contains basic information and the URL you need to visit

Youth EmpowermentA Realistic Approach

Seminars and summits provide platforms BUT sustainable empowerment is built on personal choice

Get the best of the Nigerian Information Technology and Telecommunications environment. Get involved. Force doors open, lobby as groups and don’t wait. Most life-changing opportunities come as “light chances” that if taken, will change your life for a long time to come

The ball is in your court! We can keep giving excuses on why the average Nigerian youth does NOT enjoy the best of Information Technology and Telecommunications but that won’t be an excuse to give to your future

Locate your passion, and then go on to make a difference. Personal Development -> Career Growth -> Nation Building -> Regional Relevance -> Global Participation

Youth EmpowermentThrough Digital Revolution

This revolution is bigger than IT and computing, its built within an Information Society, which is focused on people and development over technology and profit

Your computing background should be an advantage, answering your initial questions and providing an academic backbone to your personal pursuits. Don’t focus on the certificate but on expertise… be certified but not satisfied

Your empowerment through this medium will require extra effort, and you must be willing to give such – time, patience, etc

The future of Nigeria will not be decided by oil or cassava, but by the willingness of today’s youth to empower themselves with the tool of this age, the Information Age

The Last Word?

“I see a new Nigeria emerging…one that will be built on the labours of our past heroes, hewn out of the debris of the present waste and engineered by the

strength of the future leaders: the youth. These young men and women will adopt Information

Technology for the purpose of personal development, nation building, regional cooperation and global participation. They exist unknown today, but in the secrecy of their abode, they master the tool that will change their lives and that of their

nation. They remain unknown today but are nevertheless, silently building the nation’s tomorrow,

today.”