Microsoft Nigeria said that it had started training some youths in tertiary institutions in the country on programming so that they could be more productive and useful to the society.
Mr Emmanuel Onyeje, Microsoft Country Manager in Nigeria, said in Lagos on Monday that there was the need to engage Nigerian youths in software development.
Onyeje said that the aim of the training was to ensure that Nigerian youths got innovative ideas on software solutions, adding that the ‘open door’ initiative was informed by the rising cases of cyber crimes in the country.
“We are trying to help youths to use their skills to become productive and not use their skills for scamming, fraud or hacking on people’s privacy.
“If you are a programmer, whether you are in school or you are just leaving school, you can be self-employed by writing applications, “ Onyeje said.
He advised the youths to use their skills to empower themselves in the global market place.
Onyeje said that Microsoft had a programme called `Dreams Pack` for students in higher institutions which allowed them to develop their own software.
He said that students could be equipped with necessary tools that would help them develop software applications.
“A lot of students in Nigeria have been gaining access to the skills and more students will still have opportunities to be trained, “ he said.