The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in collaboration with Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB) has announced the launch of a National Technology Talent Gap Analysis Research, 2022.
This is an update of the Technology Talent Gap Analysis 2016, which includes updated data and insights, incorporates a more rigorous study approach, and captures the change in the technology talent demand and supply since the prior study.
In the Words of the Director General/CEO of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, “this research will give us great insights into the knowledge gaps that have been identified and will help us make better decisions on technology talent gap acceleration in Nigeria”.
Similarly, the CEO of Co-creation Hub, Bosun Tijani, said, “we are excited to be working with NITDA again on this research as we further curate useful insights on the technology talent demand and supply in Nigeria”.
Nigeria’s tech ecosystem has expanded over the past decade, and as a result, the shortage of expertise has gotten more pronounced. With a population of over 200 million and a staggering unemployment rate of 33.3%, one out of every three Nigerians who are able and eager to work are unemployed.
In a statement jointly signed by the Head Corporate Affairs and External Relations, NITDA, Hadiza Umar, and the Senior Communications Manager,
Co-creation Hub, Muhdammad Eyinfunjowo, the 2022 study will apply a descriptive research approach and triangulation of data.
According to the statement, the research design would approach the Talent gap issue in the Nigerian Information Technology Sector from a comprehensive viewpoint, incorporating all essential stakeholders and participants across all variable spectrums.
The statement reads in parts, “In implementing this National Multi-Stakeholder Research Project, a thorough investigation was conducted into the gaps and potential that can be brought to the forefront in Nigeria. The shortage or absence of literature on particular technological skills deficiencies in the Nigerian information technology sector is one of these gaps and possibilities.
“Therefore, this is an excellent opportunity for this study to define the key and specialized technology talent in Nigeria and their supply and demand projections. In addition, most Nigerian institutions of higher education have an incomplete grasp of the impact of technology education programmes. This is an opportunity for the study to gather feedback on the impact from study participants, particularly students.
“The quantitative method intends to collect data from practicing technology developers and university undergraduates in technology, computer science, and other relevant subjects, while the qualitative will collect data from Universities, technology talent headhunters, Polytechnics, organizations heavily dependent on technology talents, development partners, foreign tech-talent recruiters, government parastatals, and alternative technology education platforms”. The statement noted.
The research will also collect public opinion on the topic of the supply and demand for IT talent in Nigeria employing pre-planned tweets relating to poaching.