Monrovia — The former Honorary Consul General of India in Liberia Dr. Upjit Singh Sachdeva has called on the youth of Liberia to make use of technology to lead the development drive of their country.
Dr. Sachdeva is also the founder and CEO of Jeety Trading Corporation, a leading wholesale and retail firm he has been operating in Liberia for more three decades.
Delivering the keynote address at the 6th commencement convocation of BlueCrest University in Monrovia on Saturday, Dr. Sachdeva rallied he graduates and the youthful population to use their intellect and every opportunity at their disposal to shape their future for the better.
"The future is yours to shape -- with the force of your will - and your intellect, I am certain of a better future for Liberia, a country that is my home," he said.
"I have lived in Liberia for more than three decades, so I know what I am speaking of. I have lived my whole adult life in Liberia; therefore, I am a Liberian by heart and an Indian by nationality... The outgoing generation of mine, work hard to bring it this far, now it is your turn.
So, no matter what, you have to face these challenges but do so with unwavering dedication. This way, you can make a specific contribution to Liberia. You are capable.
And I cannot think of a better place to look for such people than right here at BlueCrest. And as tech graduates, you must consider what the country needs and then work to make it a reality. So, start thinking about how you might serve your nation."
Dr. Sachdeva noted that we live in a world that changes rapidly occasioned by frequent technological advances that are disruptive yet beneficial.
He lauded the tech graduates for embarking on the journey years ago in order to "position themselves to thrive in this exciting and ever-changing world that is driven by technology."
He said Liberia is behind the technology revolution; and as such, he was excited to be here to celebrate these graduates that have taken a bold step to venture into a career area which is inarguably the most needed in Liberia at this time.
He noted that while it is worthy to seek employment after graduation, encouraged the graduates should organize themselves into businesses, each person bringing a different piece of the technological puzzle, to begin to research, analyze and create digital solutions or software to solve the myriad of problems besetting Liberia.
At their incredibly young age, he said the graduates may have fears about venturing into entrepreneurship to not end up losing. While their fear may not be misplaced, especially at a time when Liberia and the rest of the world are more volatile, and uncertain, they should not let their fear paralyze them into doing nothing, adding "You have acquired the knowledge and have the ability, so explore -- be daring. You can make the difference."
The business mogul turned diplomat inspired the graduates to not give up on their dreams and never be afraid of making mistakes.
"You have the power to effect change. Therefore, do not say, " I'm afraid to fail." Those who face challenges, learn to innovate, and stay afloat. This is the secret of my success as a businessperson. Know this: Liberia needs people who will not seek the easy way out, but those who will dare to drive change amid uncertainty."
BlueCrest, Liberia's premier IT University continues to break barriers and add ingenuity to its many learning platforms.
Speaking at the Commencement ceremony, Dr. Umesh Neelakantan,
President of BlueCrest said university has contributed for advanced higher education, and has been complemented, recognized and approved by very important people and offices of governance where merit and quality stand tall.
Dr. Neelakantan said BlueCrest in Liberia has been able to bring radical thoughts for more than three thousand learners as on date through the opportunities created dominantly via information technology.
Since 2014, he said BlueCrest has imparted a mindset of progress among learners through different portfolios in Information technology; adding that the university has evolved into advanced status of learning portfolios like Cloud computing, Cyber security, advanced Software programming, advanced Networking platform, Health Analytics, Data Science, Machine Learning and Deep learning technologies, big data analytics and many more.
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"The world has progressed and will progress by integrating information technology into all personal, professional and social endeavors. Every decision as on date is based on faster information, realized assessments, valuable judgements and authenticated inferences. New generation thoughts are vital and no one can ignore or neglect the pace of young generation," he said.
According to him, there has been a radical shift in learning paradigms and pragmatic portfolios are dominating worldwide; noting that here will be no more constrained or secluded status for younger generations to think "what to study, where to study" because opportunities are immense.
Meanwhile, 20 students graduated with BSc in IT, four with BBA-4 in IT, and 39 graduated with Diploma in IT. In Fashion Design, one student graduated with Diploma.
