Buhari Approves N5bn To Boost Digital Economy, Says Pantami

President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to delivering the
national digital economy with appropriate infrastructures and
attractive conditions of service in agencies saddled with the
responsibility to do so, the Minister of Communications and Digital
Economy, Dr Isa Pantami said on Tuesday.

Pantami cited the upward review of the capital budget of the
National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) from between 500 to
700 million in the previous years to about 5 billion Naira this
year as part of the commitments of the President for a Digital
Nigeria.

He commended the President for his support and approval of
proposals relating to the development of the Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) sector, asserting that the
contributions of the ICT sector to the nation’s Gross Domestic
Product in the last quarter of 2020 was as a result of his
support.

Dr Pantami made the remarks at the presentation of the National
Information Technology Development Agency’s (NITDA)
Employee-Centric Condition and Scheme of Service documents to the
public at Frasel Suites, Abuja.

“We are grateful for His Excellency’s support and the confidence
he has reposed in us.

We are doing our best to justify this confidence by ensuring
that our initiatives support the programmes of the Government, “Dr
Pantami said.

He added; “The 2020 Fourth Quarter (Q4 2020) Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) Report recently released by the National Bureau of
Statistics (NBS) showed that our modest efforts are yielding
positive results; this reflected in the significant growth
experienced by the ICT Sector.

“The Report indicated that the ICT sector recorded a 14.7%
growth rate, making it the sector with the highest growth rate. The
growth rate of the ICT sector was over 4 times the growth rate of
the Agriculture sector, which was the sector with the
second-highest growth rate.”

He explained that the Scheme of Service would serve as a tool
for making NITDA more functional as it develops into becoming one
of the most strategic government institutions in Nigeria.

He said the documents provided the approved status for the
agency and specifies the skills and certifications required for
appointment and promotion, stressing that the Scheme identifies 15
different cadres for the Agency.

The Minister said NIMC and NIPOST would be supported by the
Federal Government to enable them to carry out their critical and
statutory functions which would boost national Identity and
security and promote a digital economy.

He noted that Conditions of Service is to re-engineer the
operations and structure of government agencies with the aim of
providing an enabling environment for effective strategy
development and execution.

“This will match the global industry requirements that are
needed to develop and regulate the innovative and agile digital
economy industry.

“We are committed to attracting and retaining highly skilled and
highly motivated personnel in the Digital Economy sector, including
all the parastatals under our supervision,” the Minister added.

President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to delivering the
national digital economy with appropriate infrastructures and
attractive conditions of service in agencies saddled with the
responsibility to do so, the Minister of Communications and Digital
Economy, Dr Isa Pantami said on Tuesday.

Pantami cited the upward review of the capital budget of the
National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) from between 500 to
700 million in the previous years to about 5 billion Naira this
year as part of the commitments of the President for a Digital
Nigeria.

He commended the President for his support and approval of
proposals relating to the development of the Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) sector, asserting that the
contributions of the ICT sector to the nation’s Gross Domestic
Product in the last quarter of 2020 was as a result of his
support.

Dr Pantami made the remarks at the presentation of the National
Information Technology Development Agency’s (NITDA)
Employee-Centric Condition and Scheme of Service documents to the
public at Frasel Suites, Abuja.

“We are grateful for His Excellency’s support and the confidence
he has reposed in us.

We are doing our best to justify this confidence by ensuring
that our initiatives support the programmes of the Government, “Dr
Pantami said.

He added; “The 2020 Fourth Quarter (Q4 2020) Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) Report recently released by the National Bureau of
Statistics (NBS) showed that our modest efforts are yielding
positive results; this reflected in the significant growth
experienced by the ICT Sector.

“The Report indicated that the ICT sector recorded a 14.7%
growth rate, making it the sector with the highest growth rate. The
growth rate of the ICT sector was over 4 times the growth rate of
the Agriculture sector, which was the sector with the
second-highest growth rate.”

He explained that the Scheme of Service would serve as a tool
for making NITDA more functional as it develops into becoming one
of the most strategic government institutions in Nigeria.

He said the documents provided the approved status for the
agency and specifies the skills and certifications required for
appointment and promotion, stressing that the Scheme identifies 15
different cadres for the Agency.

The Minister said NIMC and NIPOST would be supported by the
Federal Government to enable them to carry out their critical and
statutory functions which would boost national Identity and
security and promote a digital economy.

He noted that Conditions of Service is to re-engineer the
operations and structure of government agencies with the aim of
providing an enabling environment for effective strategy
development and execution.

“This will match the global industry requirements that are
needed to develop and regulate the innovative and agile digital
economy industry.

“We are committed to attracting and retaining highly skilled and
highly motivated personnel in the Digital Economy sector, including
all the parastatals under our supervision,” the Minister added.