The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has urged investors to take advantage of Nigeria’s demography, rising population, as well as it’s soaring digital economy and invest without fears.
The NITDA DG who was a panelist at the just concluded Nigeria-Spanish Business and Trade Forum, in Madrid, Spain, assured investors of rapid growth in diverse sectors as ‘Africa is a virgin land, with no legacy infrastructure’.
“Nigeria has talented youths and is blessed with one of the youngest populations in the world; By 2050 we will be the third most populous nations in the world; So, we are concerned about Digital Literacy because the world is moving towards digital and knowledge-based economy and there is a global talent gap in ICT”
Inuwa who commended the Buhari administration for being ICT friendly maintained that monumental impact has been made on the Nation’s economy due to the Implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria, which was unveiled and lunched by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.
In his words: “The policy launch placed Nigeria on the Global Digital Economy Map and opened the doors for investors to come and invest in key sectors of the economy. Indeed, in the history of Nigeria, we have never had an administration which is ICT friendly like the Buhari administration”.
He further explained that “Building Infrastructure, Digital Skills, and Suitable Environment for investments to thrive, remain parts of NITDA’s targets” among the strategic pillars under NDEPS.
Meanwhile, the DG who told the forum that efforts to bring the Nigeria Startup Bill to a logical conclusion are currently being intensified, expressed optimism that upon getting the legal backing, the Bill will incentivise Nigerians and create a new market in order to encourage more investments and boost the sector’s contribution to the Nation’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP).
Inuwa who noted that ICT is the third largest sectors in Nigeria, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to Digital Literacy which he says will in the long run bridge the global talent gap in the information Communications Technology sector and place the country among technology driven Nations.
He also expressed hope that achieving the ambiguous target of a 95% digital literacy by 2030 would go a long way in creating new markets for both Nigerians and investors, home and in diaspora.