The chief executive officer of the Indian Institute of Hardware Technology Gambia (IIHT), Ousman Bah, has said that The Gambia can significantly reduce youth unemployment through embracing digital transformation.
Mr. Bah who holds BSc, MSc and MBA in ICT said the Gambia should think about digital transformation after being absent from the global technology revolution for over 22 years.
“As a technology evangelist in the IT skills development industry for so long, IIHT had its eyes on the government’s plans for ICT development. These projects promise great things for our youth, the industrial economics of the country and reducing the 22 years of high unemployment rate in the country,” he said.
He said Gambian youths should understand that nothing is going to be handed on a silver platter to them when it comes to securing a job.
“We must change the mindset of I can’t do it. I can’t afford it to I CAN DO IT. Challenges must become opportunities. Youths should be ready to face the reality of the truth in the slogan: “No Skill, No Job.” This is true of both the manufacturing and the services industry sectors,” he said.
This, he said, is way more relevant for the services sector, arguing that the IT industry alone, skill sets now have a shorter shelf life than ever.
He said a technology relevant today may lose its appeal to newer technology in the market in future and as a result, aspirants need to upgrade at a faster pace because the frequency of learning new technology will keep on decreasing for them.
“We are also aware that, automation that will probably eat up 1.5 million jobs by 2020 in both manufacturing and services sector. The good news is that newer technologies like Virtualisation, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Networking and Cybersecurity will produce as many as 2.5 million additional jobs,” he added.
The Gambia, he added, is nearly last in terms of IT infrastructure and digital transformation.
“Our problem is not the scarcity of jobs but to have a single digit of less than 5% as the percentage of potential workforce with formal job-oriented training. We need to see ourselves as having a unique opportunity to become the IT hub for these sub regions because most IT languages are written in English,” he noted.
He said parents should motivate and inspire their children to make them believe that they can achieve anything to which they are willing to put their minds.
“They also need to understand the work requires total dedication, sacrifice and discipline. IIHT is prepared to restructure its mode of operations with a blend of technology and education,” he stressed.
IIHT is amongst Asia’s top IT training organisations. They started operations in 1993 and have continued to grow exponentially since then. IIHT’s business has grown at 40% CAGR year after year. As a result, some of the renowned fortune 100 organisations rely in IIHT in catering for their manpower requirements.
