The Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity has urged the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and relevant stakeholders to create awareness on the newly enacted Nigerian Start-up Act.The Chairman of the committee, Sen Oseni Yakubu, made the call on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of a 3-day Digital Nigeria Conference organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in Abuja.
The conference is with the theme “Digital Transformation: A Path to Sustainable Digital Economy.”
He said the Act, which directly targets the youth, had great opportunities and benefits.
Yakubu said: ”The Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy should create more awareness on the Startup Act for Nigerian youth to know the benefits and opportunities that abound in it.
“We are going to collaborate with the ministry to create this awareness and I have been doing my little bit to create awareness of the potential of the bill.
“I trust Nigerian youth will key into the Act because they are intelligent, as well as contribute their qouta to the Gross Domestic Product and place Nigeria in the ICT world map.”
He further said that on the signing of the bill into law, the government decided that a total of five billion naira would be used as a starting grant .
According to him, “it means that there are other funds we are expecting in the sector from other sources so that we can have something to fall back to.”
Yakubu recalled the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by the government with Microsoft to train five million Nigerians on digital skills.
Yakubu said the training would greatly impact the country’s economy.
Prof Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy said that digital economy could greatly support the traditional economy.
He sad: “The contribution of the digital economy to the GDP of Nigeria and its role in making the economy resilient to adverse events like the COVID-19 pandemic are two good examples of the impact of the digital economy on the traditional economy.”
Pantami commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his unwavering support towards the numerous achievements in the sector.
According to him, efforts of the Ministry continue to play a critical role in the development and digitalisation of the different sectors of the economy.
Pantami, however, called on all stakeholders to persist in supporting the government to further accelerate the development of the digital economy sector.
Mnister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, commended Pantami on his drive towards digital transformation in the ICT sector.
Mohammed said the communication industry was the fastest growing sector globally and in the country which had impacted the economy as well as created job opportunities.
He,however, said technological growth in the country had also promoted fake news and hate speech,which people should be mindful of.
Mr Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of NITDA said, “digital transformation was not about technology, but designing people, technology and processes to deliver things the way you want it, when you want it and how are you want it seamlessly.”
Inuwa said that digital transformation and sustainability were increasingly important and intertwined, adding that they were also full of promises and pitfalls.
“To achieve sustainability, you need strategy to realise promises while avoiding the pitfalls,”the D-G said.
Mr Ousman Bah, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, The Gambia, said the adoption of Blockchain technology, could aid transfer of money globally and faster.
Bah said his country was learning part of the processes Nigeria was using in boosting development in the sector,adding that in 2023, his Ministry had targeted five pillars to boost ICT in Gambia.
Keynote addresses included from Mr Jimmy Nguyen, Chief Executive Officer, Blockchain for All, as well as Mrs Deemah Yahya, Secretary General,Digital Cooperation Organisations.
Highlight of the opening ceremony was the unveiling of a book written by Pantami titled “Advancing Nigeria’s Drive Towards a Digital Economy”.
The conference had in attendance officials of government agencies across sectors, experts from the industry both local and international,among other participants.
It will also feature panel discussions,Blockchain Summit,Startup and Innovation Ecosystem day and an award night.
