ADE Digital targets youth with ‘Free Digital’ scheme

One of Nigeria’s leading digital marketing agency, ADE Digital Media, has promised to empower youths with digital skills and resources aimed at encouraging digital innovative solutions across Africa. Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of ADE Digital Media, Mr. Michael Ebia, disclosed this on Thursday at an event organised to mark its third anniversary in Lagos. […]

One of Nigeria’s leading digital marketing agency, ADE Digital Media, has promised to empower youths with digital skills and resources aimed at encouraging digital innovative solutions across Africa.

Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of ADE Digital Media, Mr. Michael Ebia, disclosed this on Thursday at an event organised to mark its third anniversary in Lagos.

According to him, the initiative aims at promoting an understanding of the possibilities digital solutions provide in improving the socio-economic possibilities of Africans.

“We have a bold and ambitious vision to create frameworks and partnerships that can further accelerate broad-based adoption of digital technology as a utility, encouraging Africans to intuitively use digital tools and resources to live and work.

“Free Digital seeks to, among other things, accelerate the digital inclusion that is required to achieve the continent’s human development outcomes,” he said.

Ebia noted that Africa has made a lot of progress in digital technology adoption, adding that “but for us to fully harness the potential of digital technology in improving human outcomes on the continent, we need to expand the current demographic scope for digital.”

“The ‘Free Digital’ initiative will educate demand and supply-side stakeholders on the various opportunities digital technology provides in improving human development outcomes across various verticals like education, healthcare, citizenship, commerce, job creation, to mention a few. The initiative will also empower these stakeholders to take advantage of these opportunities by initiating technology development projects and developing technology hubs across the continent,” he said.

The CEO further added: “It has been an extremely exciting and rewarding three years. We started ADE Digital with a vision to create very tangible value in the digital marketing value chain. In this time, we have worked with clients who have allowed us experiment, explore and deliver measurable value to their brand development & customer engagement activities.”

Also speaking at the event, the Chief Innovation Officer and co-founder of ADE Digital Media, Mr. Samson Aligba, said that digital disruption has made life easier for people in societies where digital technologies have been adopted.

“20 years ago, China was not where it is now. 20 years ago, the entire Asian continent was not where it is today. Now, they run the world; it’s time for Africa and digital technology is the way forward,” he said.

He asked rhetorically: “How do we expand the healthcare system beyond bricks and mortars? How do we make digital technology accessible to people in the remotest parts of Nigeria? How do we make it possible for everyone in Nigeria to attend university, even from their houses wherever they are; attend classes and also get a job without having to move to Lagos?”

“This is what the ‘Free Digital’ initiative intends to achieve. We must be able to push our country forward; we must be able to bring the federal government and private sector together to push for better policies and build better systems that would make all of these thrive. We’re doing this, not just for Nigerians alone, but for nations in Africa,” Aligba added.