Nigeria Ready To Lead Africa In Digital Technology- President Tinubu
By Temitope Mustapha, Abuja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared Nigeria’s readiness to lead the African continent in digital technology.
The President has also said that his administration is opening up channels of opportunities in information and communications technology to deepen capacity, and foster partnerships.
The Nigerian Leader made these declarations when he received a delegation from Meta Platforms Incorporated, led by Sir Nick Clegg, former UK Deputy Prime Minister and Meta’s President of Global Affairs, at the State House in Abuja on Thursday.
President Tinubu also said that Nigeria cannot be left behind in the age of technological advancements, hence, it’s efforts to sustain investments in digital technology to enhance the sustainability of small businesses and expand opportunities across sectors.
He added that this will propel Nigeria to become the repository of information and communications technology in Africa.
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In view of his administration’s 3MTT programme, which is training three million Nigerian youths in digital technology and essential skills before deploying them to innovation hubs across the nation, the President emphasized that Nigerian youths are the most critical asset in Nigeria’s arsenal as it moves to achieve digital economic expansion.
“For us in Nigeria, we have a vibrant, gifted and resourceful youth population. Recognizing that the future is most likely to be AI-enabled, we have to prepare our youths and make them ready to compete and participate in the global economy.
“I can assure you that Nigeria is open for business. We want to lead the African continent in digital technology. Data is valuable to our development. We are ready to cooperate on technological advancements. It is the only way to go. We need a collaboration that will be a win-win for all,” President Tinubu said.
Emphasizing the importance of technology in driving small businesses, the President said he is committed to ensuring that technology is deployed, adapted, enhanced, and used to catalyze growth across a vast majority of micro businesses, spurring mass prosperity down the line.
“What interests me is the use of technology in the development of small businesses. We need to make the business environment more conducive for you and more profitable for us as well. I hope we can collaborate and continue to promote our mutual interests,” President Tinubu told the delegation.
Earlier in his remarks, Sir Clegg thanked the President for an executive order he issued, which enabled the landing of the Meta-backed deep-sea cable in Nigeria.
