A samsung laptop

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on Wednesday donated 425 Samsung laptop computers to 15 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Mr Benoit Sossou, the UNESCO Acting Regional Director, UNESCO Regional Office in Abuja, presented the computers with other written materials to the recipients in Abuja.

The beneficiary states are; Jigawa, Taraba, Bayelsa, Benue, Akwa Ibom, Ondo, Kwara, Kano, Osun, Lagos, Enugu, Sokoto, Adamawa, Borno, Anambra and FCT.

Sossou urged the beneficiaries to use the materials to actualise stated development objectives.

“Today, we are presenting 200 laptops to FCT and 15 states each with 15 laptops, printers, stabiliser, white board, exercise books, pencils, primers and facilitators’ guide for their community learning centres.

“We anticipate that in no time these places will transform into centres of excellence for literacy and community engagement for sustainable development.

“This is in furtherance of UNESCO commitment toward capacity building for secondary school students especially in the area of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), “ he said.

He said the initiative was aimed at engaging young people to acquire the high-level skills and confidence to develop, promote and sell locally relevant mobile applications that provide employment and solve local issues of sustainable development.

Sossou thanked Samsung Electronics for their partnership with UNESCO to improve education and literacy in Nigeria.

“Also, I must acknowledge and thank the government of Nigeria for donating about N108 million Fund-in-Trust to UNESCO through the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millenium Developmental Goals (MDGs) for the project.

“It is within the framework of the project that these donations are being made and with everyone’s support, nobody will be left behind going forward with the post 2015 Agenda.

In his response, Mr Abubakar Alkammu, Programme Director, Sokoto State Agency for Mass Education, commended UNESCO for its efforts to support Nigeria toward eradicating illiteracy to achieve its development goals.

Alkammu called on other stakeholders to contribute their quota toward advancement and sustainability of literacy in Nigeria