Nigeria begins SIM cards production, targets export

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has said Nigeria had put a halt to the importation of Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) cards, as the nation could now produce its own and export them to other African nations

He spoke, yesterday, in Abuja, while briefing the House of Representatives on the importance of an executive bill seeking to create an enabling environment for technology innovators to maximise their potential by becoming job creators in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.

The piece of legislation is entitled a “Bill for an Act to Provide for the Creation and Development of an Enabling Environment for Technology Enabled Startups in Nigeria.”

The proposed law, according to the minister, would attract sustainable investments to expand numerous business ideas by young Nigerians, who come up with problem-solving innovations on daily basis without having to depend on the government for sustainability.

Pantami said since the private sector controls 91 per cent of financial inflow into the economy, the bill, if passed into law, would encourage investors seeking to expand innovative ideas, just as he gave instances of five leading startups in Africa originating from Nigeria.