FG seeks private sector's cooperation on proposed national ICT Park
The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Ministry of Communications has sought the cooperation of private sector on the actualization of the proposed national ICT Park at the Abuja Technology Village.
At a business roundtable stakeholders’ engagement organized in Lagos by the Ministry, the Minister of Communications, Dr. AbdurRaheem Adebayo Shittu described the ICT/Telecom industry as key to the economy.
He said Nigeria has a youthful population and a consumer nation, thus, the industry holds the key to the nation’s growth.
The objective of the meeting according to him was to apprise to the major stakeholders and the private companies operating in the ICT ecosystem of the Ministry’s plan to establish ICT Park.
He said: “As a result of the collaboration between the Ministry and Abuja Technology Village (ATV), a 6344 square meter of commercial land was earmarked for the establishment of the Park within the free trade zone owned and operated by ATV. This stakeholders’ event will give insight into ATV free trade zone; showcase the conceptual model of the proposed park, present investment and partnership opportunities to venture capitalist, academic institutions, business angels, investment bankers and development partners.”
The meeting also discussed models and mechanism for the management of the National ICT Park as well as role of business investment flow/donor funding in the development of the National ICT Park.
"This project is part of government’s preparation for the 4th Industrial Revolution, which is predicted to happen globally in the near future,” he said.
He added that the establishment of the centre will encourage investment in the ICT sector and complement the proposed ICT university which will also produce the required skilled manpower for Africa.
"We need to build strong interface between the academia and the industry, and we want industry participation and synergy on this project that will be of immense benefit to the ICT ecosystem be it the student community, the academia and the industry,” he stressed.
Earlier, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Nigeria, Mr. In-tee Lee pointed out that the National ICT Park will allow Nigeria to join the world trend of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in which transportation, construction, agriculture, environment, and many other sectors are merged to transform the entire landscape of the economy.