The Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu has expressed willingness to support the growth of Information and Communication Technology in administrative governance.
Governor Otu made the remark when he received a delegation from Silicon Valley Product Group (SPVG), a global hub for technological innovation at his office in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State, southern Nigeria.
SVPG is an ICT-based company created to share senior-level experience and best practices with technology companies and offer services to the government as well as training.
A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Emmanuel Ogbeche indicated that Senator Otu urged the tech investors to take advantage of its population and establish ICT hubs across the state.
The statement further indicated that Governor Otu described technology as vital for socioeconomic stability, educational advancement, policy formulation, and implementation as we engage young people in productive ventures.
It quoted the Governor as stating: “A technology-friendly government fosters an environment that supports innovation in several ways, which include research and development, encouraging industry partnerships and most importantly, creating policies and regulations that incentivise innovation.
“God has blessed our state with intelligent people in the area of Information Technology. What we lack are proper ICT hubs for our young and active people to take advantage of. We would love to partner with you in establishing these ICT hubs for proper training of Cross River people,” he stated.
Also speaking, the team lead, Mr. Christian Idiodi said “The delegation was Cross River State to share ideas that would help build ICT solutions beneficial to Africans.”
Idiodi said the team has held several trainings and seminars aimed at encouraging ICT-based solutions for Africans.
He expressed the group’s readiness to leverage on the governor’s offer and set up a shop in Cross River.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
