The Federal Government has unveiled the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) Talent City as part of measures to position Nigeria as a global destination for digital services and outsourcing.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, at the DBI Lagos Campus yesterday, said it was challenging that Nigeria, blessed with hardworking people, could not measure with other nations such as India and the Philippines on the trillion dollars global map of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) in digital literacy, technology, and innovation.

Determined to bridge the gap, he reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s goal to make Nigeria the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) hub of Africa within five years, which, he said, was not just visionary but actionable.

Speaking on the theme, ‘Nigeria Talent Cities: A National Framework for Digital Job Creation Through Infrastructure,’ he urged all industry stakeholders to come together, collaborate, and unlock the opportunities that abound in the sector, stressing that the President was ready to do anything to create jobs.

“As a nation, we can’t get there if we do not come together to create the change. Why should BPOs be swelling and Nigeria is not on the list despite being hardworking? That is the challenge for everyone. What we need is the space and connectivity to create these jobs,” he said. He said the ministry would serve as a partner in the project and was ready to provide the connectivity. 

The Chief Executive Officer, DBI, David Daser, said the talent cities are expected to unlock economic opportunity at scale by transforming underutilised public infrastructure and private infrastructure into high-productivity digital campuses for job creation.