The Nigerian Senate has urged the National Information Technology Development Agency ( NITDA), to fast track the digitization process, & make the country more innovative in diverse sectors.
Nigeria’s unimpressive position in the digital driven economy and the need for its repositioning, came to the fore in Abuja, when the Chairman Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Ajibola Basiru, paid a courtesy visit on NITDA DG.
Senator Basiru assured the NITDA DG of expeditious consideration of whatever amendments the agency wants on the 2007 Act empowering its operation.
According to him, the 9th National Assembly will provide the required legislations that will fast track the Digitalization process of the Nation’s economy.
” We shall be happy if the required technology is made available in enhancing productivity in the Agricultural sector because no society can really be secured without food sufficiency for its populace “, he said.
The NITDA boss Mallam Kashifu Inuwa while welcoming the Senate delegation, declared that Data and not oil, is driving the economy of leading countries of the world today.
“As far as digital economy in the world is concerned, which is valued at $11trillion, Nigeria despite its huge population and potentials, is lagging behind.”
According to him, digital economy, is what Nigeria must key into which the agency with the support of its supervising ministry, is facilitating for the country through required innovations & technology.
He disclosed that a Centre for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence has been created by the agency, confirming that 20,000 young Nigerians across the states, are being targeted for capacity building in the area of technology.
“Economy in the world is going or has gone digital , which is presently valued at $11trillion but the situation is unpalatable for Nigeria going by population and potentials the country is blessed with”.
“I said it’s not good for us because, out of 616 digital & data driven firms running the digital economy, 256 are based in the United States of America , 204 in China, 26 in United Kingdom, 21 in India, 12 in Germany etc, only two each, are in South Africa & Nigeria.”
As a way forward, the NITDA boss said the agency is ever ready to promote usage of IT or digital devices by Nigerians in all their economic activities , particularly in the Agricultural sector.
He however said the 2007 Act upon which the agency operates after its establishment in 2001, needs to be amended to give it the required powers in the area of regulations of ICT operations in the country with regards to the ability to deal with issues as they arise in digital sector.
“Our target objective upon availability of enabling laws, is making Nigeria the hub of innovations in Africa.
Mallam Inuwa further confirmed that, “Even some Universities in the country were already keying into the digital world by substituting courses at PhD level on Oil and Gas for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence”.
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