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Nigeria has mass of ‘digital natives’ that can transform country into a global digital powerhouse, says FG

By Nkechi Onyedika-Ugoeze, Abuja
26 October 2022   |   3:21 am
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has said Nigeria possesses a potential critical mass of ‘digital natives that can transform the country into a regional

[FILES] Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami. PHOTO: Twitter

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has said Nigeria possesses a potentially critical mass of ‘digital natives that can transform the country into a regional and global digital powerhouse.

He noted that these creative Nigerians can play a key role in the creation of digital jobs across sectors of the country; jobs that are either based on or are dependent on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).

Speaking at an event, Digital Nigeria Conference, yesterday, in Abuja, the minister noted that signing of the Nigeria Startup Act as principal legislation is a major achievement that will significantly enhance the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Nigeria.

He observed that digitalisation increases efficiency, reduces waste, enhances productivity, increases transparency and supports datafication, among other things.

The implementation of a digital economy policy accelerates digitalisation, and this, in turn, enhances the digital economy.

Quoting the World Economic Forum, Pantami stated that $100 trillion is going to be added to the world economy through a digital transformation from 2016 to 2025, which is an average of $10 trillion yearly.

He added that by 2025, interactions, driven by platforms, are expected to enable roughly two-thirds of the $100 trillion value at stake from digitalisation.

He said: “Bearing in mind the importance of a digital economy, President Muhammadu Buhari, approved our request to redesignate the Federal Ministry of Communications as the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy on October 17, 2019.

“The change was officially endorsed at the Federal Executive Council on the October 23, 2019, and the process of implementing a digital economy for the country began on October 24, 2019, which was approved as the Digital Nigeria Day.”

The minister said that Federal Government is championing a paradigm shift that lays emphasis on skills, in preference to merely having degrees without skills.

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