GITEX 2020: NITDA Creates Big Data Platform to Scale Up Investments in Digital Economy
TECH DIGEST – As the global economy is rapidly transforming through creative innovations, Nigeria has created Big data platform to improve data gathering for service delivery.
The Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); Kashifu Inuwa who made the disclosure at the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX 2020) taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirate.
As a panellist at the African Investment Forum of the Conference, Inuwa pointed out that the establishment of the National Mobile Big Data Analytic Platform was to efficiently scale up investment in the Digital economy sphere.
He said: “The Platform was created to enable a data revolution in the Nigerian economy by using converging the data collected by local mobile networks and skilled Nigerian data scientists. It would build up a central hub to collect and process location data from mobile network operators; disseminate aggregate statistics on several vital sectors of the economy such as population, security, healthcare, transportation, education and tourism through an open database.”
Kashifu added that through the platform thousands of Nigerians would be trained and mentor on database management, data processing and analysis, service the information needs of MDAs, NGOs and private companies through a data science hub.
The NITDA boss said his agency proactively sought ways to leverage digital technologies for development.
“In the bid to ensure that citizens are empowered with Information Technologies, NITDA has taken proactive policy steps to develop a critical mass of IT proficient and globally competitive manpower in the country.
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“In this light, the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) was recently established by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); as part of its contribution to the successful implementation of the digital economy strategy.
“NCAIR represents government’s determination to create a suitable environment for technology innovation, incubation and discovery while harnessing the abundant creative ideas of Nigeria’s teeming youth population for national development through the promotion of innovative technologies.
“With the establishment of this centre, the youth segment of the population would be challenged to channel their creative energies towards preparing solutions that seek to address current and future problems or challenges across all sectors of the economy.”
While inviting foreign investors, he said Nigeria is a leading destination for FDI in Africa due to its vibrant emerging market, exceptional geographical position, diversified economy, young and eager labour force, and excellent quality of life and much more.
According to him, Foreign Direct Investment in Nigeria is expected to reach $220 Million by the end of this quarter which portends an opportunity for investment in the Digital economy sector.
Digital technologies are rapidly developing in diverse fields—including mobile communications, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of things, and 3-D printing. We are now in the 4th Industrial Revolution and the world is experiencing the profound changes that new technologies bring to the way we live, work, interact, and do business.
“Nigeria holds an enormous potential for private investors and venture capitalist in the Digital economy ecosystem, the question of Nigeria’s potential as a choice of IT investment destination in this century is definitely not in doubt,” he concluded.
PRNigeria observes that GITEX Technology Week is hosting about 1,300 exhibitors, including over 300 start-ups from over 60 countries. There are pavilions from most innovative technological and promising nations, including United States, United Kingdom, France, Israel, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, Belgium, Brazil, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Poland, Romania among others.
By PRNigeria
