‘Why Nigeria Needs Digital Technology’
The Minister for Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami has called for the speedy adoption of digital technology in order for the country to survive the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Minister who made the call during the second edition of the Re-Ignite Public Affairs National Dialogue Series held recently in partnership with Businessday Media, said: “Since the global lockdown earlier in the year, digital commerce has become the most efficient growth area providing the world new ways of doing things as encapsulated in the new normal occasioned by the pandemic.”
With the theme “Nigeria at 60 - Rebooting Nigeria’s economy the way forward”, the Minister who was represented by his Technical Assistant on Info-Tech, Dr. Olufemi Adeluyi, highlighted the National digital economy policy and strategy, which would help move the Nigerian economy sector forward. He listed the eight pillars on which the policy is hinged to include: the developmental regulation pillar; digital literacy and skills pillar; solid infrastructure pillar; service infrastructure pillar; digital services development and promotion pillar; soft infrastructure pillar; digital society and emerging technology pillar; as well as indigenous content development and adoption pillar.
The minister explained that the Nigerian economy needed a soft rebooting, which could only be achieved through an economy driven by digital technology.
The program had members of faculty selected from among tech, creative, oil and gas, financial and digital experts and entrepreneurs, who provided perspectives on why government should create enabling policy environment for business enterprises to thrive within the digital space.
They all enumerated challenges that are inhibiting digital growth in private and public sectors in Nigeria. They also emphasised the need for continuous education of the users and also the struggles that telecommunications companies in the country are facing despite the perception that they are making money.
The Founder/CEO of Dragon Africa and Storm Productions, Obi Asika, spoke majorly on connected thinking and collaboration and stressed the need for collaboration between the public and private sector.
A financial expert, Abolore Salami, spoke on what needed to be done to make digital technology drive Nigeria’s economy successfully into the future.