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Google to Invest $1.6 Million in Nigerian Tech Talent
Google Wednesday announced a plan to train 20,000 Nigerian women and young people in digital skills. The US tech giant said it would also donate $1.6 million to support the program.
The announcement was made following talks between Google’s director for West Africa, Olumide Balogun, and Nigeria’s Vice-President, Kashim Shettima. Shettima welcomed the announcement, saying that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is determined to harness the potential of Nigeria’s young population to grow the digital sector.
The training program will focus on a range of digital skills, including software development, data science, and entrepreneurship. It is designed to help participants develop the skills they need to find jobs in the growing tech sector in Nigeria.
The $1.6 million donation from Google will be used to support the training program, as well as to provide scholarships for women and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The initiative is a major boost for Nigeria’s efforts to create one million tech jobs. It is also a sign of Google’s commitment to supporting the development of the digital economy in Africa.
Nigerian President Mourns Soldiers Killed in Helicopter Crash
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu Wednesday paid tribute to the courageous soldiers who died in a helicopter crash while on an evacuation mission in Niger state on Monday.
The president said the “tragic loss” of the soldiers had “brought immense sadness” to him. He described them as “courageous men” who “did not consider the perils and dangers of their national duty as paramount to their sacred mandate of ensuring that their fellow countrymen and women can live in peace.”
The helicopter that crashed had been on a mission to evacuate soldiers following an ambush in the area where the army has been fighting armed groups. Several soldiers were reportedly killed in the attack.
President Tinubu said the soldiers would be remembered for their sacrifice and dedication to their country. He offered his condolences to their families and friends, and to the entire Nigerian Armed Forces.
“On behalf of a grateful nation, I extend my condolences to their families, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Air Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, and the entire Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. May God grant them eternal rest,” he said.
Sexual offender in South Africa handed 12 life sentences
The Johannesburg High Court Monday imposed 12 life sentences on Gerhard Ackerman, a serial criminal who was found guilty of committing multiple sex offenses against children in South Africa.
Judge Mohamed Ismail of Johannesburg, however, ruled that the 12 life sentences would run together.
In April, the court found Ackerman guilty of attempted murder and several sexual offenses against children, who were mainly young boys.
Some of the sexual offences the court found Ackerman guilty of included rape, human trafficking, sexual grooming of minors and production, possession and distribution of child pornography.
Ackerman is still on trial for a separate child sexual abuse case, which he is accused of having committed at a Johannesburg country club in 2018.
Ackerman’s suspected accomplice, Paul Kennedy, who worked as an advocate and acting judge, died by suicide in February 2022, before the trial began.
Kennedy was accused of aiding Ackerman in operating the child sex abuse ring and transmitting HIV to some of the victims Ackerman sent him.
Following the sentence, Ackerman fired his lawyer. He also told journalists that he was innocent on most, if not all of the charges and would file for a retrial of the case.
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