President Muhammad Buhari
Buhari
President Muhammad Buhari
Buhari pledges support for digital entrepreneurs, ICT
stakeholders
President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to support Nigerian
digital entrepreneurs in order for them to develop innovative
solutions that will help address challenges of technological
development in the country.
The President, gave the assurance at the “2019 e-Nigeria
Conference, Exhibitions and Awards” in Abuja, on Thursday.
In his remark at conference tagged “Achieving Digital Economy,”
Buhari, commended the Minister of Communication and Digital
economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, and National Information Technology
Development Agency (NITDA), for their unwavering commitment towards
ensuring that the country’s ICT sector transforms Nigeria into a
digital economy.
“The second quarter report by the NBS in 2019, showed that the
ICT sector contributed an impressive 13.85% to the GDP of Nigeria.
This clearly, shows the importance and potential of the ICT sector
to boost job creation and fast-track our economic diversification
agenda. Already, Nigerian ICT startups are leaving their marks at
the global stage,” he said.
The President, expressed delight that the digitalization of key
activities such as Bank Verification Number (BVN), Treasury Single
Account (TSA) and Integrity Personnel Payroll System (IPPIS), has
enabled the Federal Government to save cost on service-delivery in
the public service, and boosted the anti-corruption fight.
“As we celebrate the successes and explore the opportunities of
this sector, we must remain mindful of its threat. We all know how
the use of unregistered sim cards by terrorists is threatening our
national security. As a Government, our priority is to protect the
lives and property of all Nigerians.
“If we may recall in 2018, we directed that all government
funded-ICT project must be reviewed and cleared by NITDA. Our goal
was to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of government to
record multiple success. Today, I am informed that through this
directive, government has saved over 16.8 billion. I want to
encourage the ministry and NITDA to sustain this tempo,” he
added.
In his address of welcome, Pantami, disclosed that the
Communication Ministry is collaborating with the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology to organize the regional entrepreneurship
acceleration program, aimed at training Nigerian youths on ICT,
tech-Agric and construction.
“The policy we are working on is to make sure that we leverage
on digital technologies to create jobs for our teeming youths and
it has started, and it is also yielding results.
Also, we have been able to support our security institutions by
commissioning the first Emergency Communication Centre. The centre
will be able to receive calls from people in distress and emergency
situation, and link them up with relevant authorities for timely
response,” he said.
He called on relevant stakeholders, agencies and departments to
support the ministry’s initiative towards ensuring that Nigeria
becomes a robust digital economy by 2023.
On his part, the Director General of NITDA, Mr. Kashifu
Abdullahi, explained that the conference is a platform where
government, academia and ICT experts meet yearly to discuss on
better ways to develop and shape the future of the country’s ICT
sector.
The keynote speaker and founder of MAINONE, Ms. Funke Opeke,
commended the efforts of President Buhari and Pantami, in growing
Nigeria’s digital economy by supporting local contents, promoting
the ease of doing business, and developing critical national
infrastructure.