TECHDIGEST – In just two years in office, the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr Ali Isa Pantami disclosed that his Ministry and its agencies have generated N1.54 trillion in their bid to deliver the promises made by President Muhammadu Buhari to all Nigerians in terms of economic diversification, enhanced security and the anti-corruption drive.

The agencies that made huge contributions to the digital economy included the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST), Galaxy Backbone Limited, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

The contributions of those agencies helped in lifting the country out of recession, as the ICT sector recorded the highest growth rate, according to reports given by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Meanwhile, for some time, NITDA has been working on plans for a review of its laws to create an independent regulatory framework for the development of the Nigerian IT sector, thereby making the laws more beneficial to startups and other tech industry operators, which would further enhance revenue to the coffers of the federation.

Consequently, in March this year, the Director-General of NITDA, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa presented a proposal for the realignment of the NITDA Act 2007 with the principles of the Nigeria Digital Economy Policy Strategy and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) to the relevant committees of the National Assembly.

Mallam Kashifu had explained to the lawmakers that an urgent review of the laws was imperative in order to keep abreast of the accelerating changes within the worldwide IT-driven ecosystem and properly position Nigeria as Africa’s leading digital economy and a major player on the global scene.

The proposed bill, expected to repeal the NITDA Act 2007, is aimed at creating a regulatory framework for the development of the Nigerian IT sector and digital economy.

It is not only geared to the promotion and implementation of policies that support indigenous content, access to digital services, and investments in the sector. The objectives of the proposed amendment also include the adoption of emerging technology, innovation, and safeguarding the rights of the citizens and the national interest.

Going by the focus of the proposed law, it is therefore surprising to notice the sudden wave of anxiety and trepidation within the Nigerian tech community over a purportedly ‘leaked’ draft of the proposal in circulation, which they say is harmful and would pose a serious threat to startups.

Operators have raised an alarm over some of the provisions in the proposed bill, which they describe as ambiguous, and may require further consultation before it becomes an Act.

The aggrieved stakeholders see the agency’s proposed review as being long on penalties and sanctions against individuals or companies that fail to get the relevant licenses or pay the 1 per cent levy fee, but short on information to guide startups on the requirements needed to qualify them for licensing.

Going by the ‘leaked’ proposed NITDA bill, stakeholders believe the agency’s focus is about Nigerian tech companies obtaining licenses, paying pre-tax profit levies and imposing sanctions on individuals and companies that operate contrary to the  provisions of the new Act.

They cited Sections 6, 13, 20, 21, and 22, which cover NITDA’s power, classes of licenses and authorisations, and offences and penalties, among others, are the contentious provisions causing apprehension.

As a keen follower of the activities and programmes of the IT sector regulator, I find it rather disturbing that a ‘leaked’ document is generating so much disquiet within the tech ecosystem in Nigeria.

The fears expressed by stakeholders are understandable, especially considering the recent incident that played out following the removal of a critical portion from the proposed amendment to the Electoral Act. We (Nigerians) are still reeling from that democratic betrayal by our self-centred political class.

While it may be difficult to verify the authenticity or otherwise of this leaked document, stakeholders need to reach out to the concerned agency to sort out this misgiving, as true partners in progress committed to gainful engagement for the national interest.

It is noteworthy that some stakeholders are calling on NITDA to hold further consultations before the Act becomes law. This is the best option for the agency to follow as a demonstration of its avowed commitment to constantly engage stakeholders on issues relating to the tech sector.

This brings to mind, the recent two-day advocacy undertaken by the NITDA DG to Lagos, during which he visited several tech startups and engaged with various stakeholders in the tech ecosystem.

In June this year, the agency had consulted industry stakeholders on policy developments targeted at boosting national economic growth and diversification.

The agency has consistently sought alignment with stakeholders’ vision in government, innovation-driven enterprises, consumers of innovation, tech startups, investors, academia funding agencies, civil society organisations and others.

Other instances abound to confirm that NITDA has continued to maintain strategic engagement with stakeholders, spanning the various segment of the tech community in the country.

Obviously, that does not reflect an agency that operates in secrecy or with the intent to shortchange the operators or mortgage sustainable growth in the bid to garner revenue for itself, without creating the needed stability for stakeholders to thrive.

Suffice to say that the agency has always been in the forefront of creating platforms for strong stakeholder engagement and support for its policies and programmes at every point in time.

And since the agency has started the process of developing a draft of the proposed amendment bill, there is no need for operators to jump to hasty conclusion that the agency is pushing a secret document to be passed into law.
Moreover, related developments in the tech sector indicate that the tech community is working towards updating existing but outdated laws to emphasise the government’s commitment to innovation and the young people who are building startups in Nigeria.

Similarly, the Nigerian Startup Bill (NSB) project has commenced with a stakeholders’ meeting to ensure that all government agencies and parastatals are aligned with the vision for the Nigerian tech startup ecosystem.

The proposed Nigeria Startup Bill, a joint initiative of the Federal Government and the tech ecosystem aims to ensure that startups are protected to thrive and harness the potentials of the digital economy through co-created regulations.

Thus, aggrieved operators can rest assured that the proposed NSB and the NITDA amendment bill offers double-pronged legislation to guard against different challenges faced by startups as a result of disruptive and ambiguous regulations that undermine growth in the startup ecosystem.

As a driver of Nigeria’s IT industry, I am confident that NITDA would come up with a timely clarification to set the record straight, dispel the fears of operators and sustain its excellent credentials as a stakeholder-friendly public agency.

Inyene Ibanga is Managing Editor TechDigest.ng and writes from Abuja

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TECHDIGEST – Professor Umar Danbatta, the executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has charged the Nigerian youths, to put their digital skills and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools to appropriate and legitimate use.
Danbatta admonished the youths, particularly those who participated in the nationwide digital literacy training conducted by the Commission.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the NCC’s Digital Literacy Training for the North-West held at the Kano Campus of the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Danbatta, said, “The training has provided for you, useful skills, which you have acquired to earn a living for yourself without necessarily relying on government to give you a job.

It is our hope at NCC that you will apply the skills appropriately and impact on your friends and associates. I also urge you to resist the temptations to sell the laptops and other IT tools you are going to be provided with,” Danbatta told the digital literacy training participants.

The EVC commended President Muhamamdu Buhari; Dr. Isa Pantami, the supervising minister of Communications and Digital Economy, and the Governing Board of the Commission for the implementation of the digital capacity-building initiative, describing the scheme as an important intervention approved by the Federal Government to make more Nigerian youths self-reliant.

“We, therefore, express our profound appreciation to the President and to our Ministry for making this particular training, which is a practical demonstration of one of the important pillars of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, possible,” he pointed out.

According to the NCC boss, the Federal Government’s policy in this direction is aimed at lifting Nigerians, particularly the youths, out of poverty, stressing that to achieve this, there was a need to impact skills to the youths who will, in turn, use the skills for self-employment.

“It is consistent with this important policy of President Muhammadu Buhari that the Board of the NCC, two years ago, set up a committee of experts chaired by the former EVC of the Commission, Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, to develop modalities and syllabus for the digital training of youths across the six geo-political zones of the country,” he explained.

According to him, the implementation of the recommendations of the committee of experts, as approved by the government, gave rise to the training, which targets 1,000 Nigerian youths to be digitally trained for self-employment.

Earlier, the President of DBI, Prof. Muhammad Ajiya, who praised Prof Dabatta for his untiring efforts to ensure the implementation of the Federal Government’s policy, said the various modules of the digital, moral and leadership skills given to the youths during the course of the training will go a long way in making the beneficiaries earn a living and be self-reliant.

Participants also expressed appreciation to the Commission for the digital skills acquisition and empowerment programme.

The training, a brainchild of the Commission, which was aimed at implementing the Federal Government’s policy to lift Nigerians out of poverty, held for two weeks across each of the six geo-political zones of the country.

Across the zones, the youth were not only trained by subject-matter experts in ICT but were also given laptops, Internet Mi-Fi, financial support and certificates certifying the digital skills they have been equipped with.

According to Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, director, Public Affairs at NCC, board members of the Commission participated at the closing and opening ceremonies of the training in their respective geo-political zones.

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TECHDIGEST – The Republic of Korea, through its grant aid agency, Korea International Cooperation Agency Office in Nigeria, has signed a new project agreement worth $13 million with the Nigerian Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.

The agreement, which was signed in Abuja, on Thursday, aimed to further boost the eGovernment expansion, and increase access in the enrolment of the National Identification Number.

The KOICA Office in Nigeria, in a statement titled, ‘FG, Korea boosts e-expansion, signs $13m project agreement,’ said the new agreement was for the implementation of the ‘Project for Building Foundations Towards Digital Governance in Nigeria from 2020 to 2026.’

It said, “The project which is fully funded by the Korean Government through grant aid, is expected to enhance capacity for the further execution of key initiatives of the National eGovernment Master Plan, improve competencies for eGovernment service delivery through capacity building programmes, expand the delivery of government digital services through the activation of the Government Service Portal, www.services.gov.ng, and create increased access for NIN enrolment through the establishment of additional NIN enrolment centres.”

Speaking during the signing ceremony, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, said KOICA’s aid disbursement for eGovernment remained the highest in Nigeria.

He recalled the remarkable experience he had during his visit to Korea for the International Telecommunication Union conference, saying that the experience presented him with the opportunity to appreciate the robust development of Korea’s eGovernment structures and implementation.

The minister acknowledged the willingness of the Federal Government to expand eGovernment in Nigeria, while also saying that the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy was fully prepared to actualize the objectives of the new project to further boost the expansion of eGovernment initiatives across the country.

Country Director, KOICA Nigeria Office, Mr Woochan Chang, said the agreement serves as a second phase for the eGovernment Capacity Building project in Nigeria, earlier implemented during 2013-2019, which was also fully funded by KOICA.

He called for full activation of the Presidential Council on eGovernment which he regarded as a significant engine room for the operationalization of activities as designed in the new project, noting that the new project activities are closely aligned with the policy focus of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, 2020 -2030.

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TECHDIGEST – In its fulfillment to enable the development of National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, under the leadership of Honourable Minister, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has kick-started a pioneer programme to train Members of Kano Executive Council on e-Governance and Digital Transformation.

The programme was initiated to give special training to the top government officials in the state on modern technology adoption, in order to improve their performances at all levels while delivering services to the general public.

The opening ceremony of the 2-day event, which commenced today, 2nd August, 2021, was attended by Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, his Deputy, Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Usman Alhaji, Commissioners, and other members of the Executive Council of the state.

While making his address, Dr Ganduje thanked the Federal Government, particularly the ministry for bringing various initiatives, including training of over 1000 youths on digital skills and other supports provided in the state.

The governor commended Dr Pantami for matching words with action, adding that the e-governance training was as a result of his visit to the Communications and Digital Economy Complex in Abuja where he initiated talks on the possible collaboration and partnership with the Ministry to foster ICT development in Kano state.

He also hinted his government’s commitment towards the realization of ICT policy in the state. According to him, ICT has been a critical element to governance, and his administration is making all efforts to ensure that the state taps on the immense benefit of e-Governace and digital technologies by simplifying government operations as well as limiting government spending.

He said, “It is imperative we apply the new system being used anywhere in the world, because the old system of government would not move the state forward.”

The governor assured that he would continue to come up with ways to streamline government operations and reduce the cost of running his administration.

On his part, Dr Pantami, while delivering his keynote address, noted that the training is the first of its kind in Nigeria at the state level, and there cannot be a better place to start than Kano State, according to him, Kano State is the most populous state in Nigeria and the commercial nerve centre of Northern Nigeria.

He said, historically, the people of Kano have always been known to be hardworking and industrious. “They were among the first people to establish major industries and conglomerates in Nigeria, trading in food and drinks, textile and footwear, tanning, ceramics, and furniture,” he added.

Dr Pantami stated that the commencement of the programme makes Kano State Executive Council Members the first beneficiaries, which at the end, Kano will be well positioned to develop a strong digital economy, and have a transformational impact on the state and the nation at large.

He said that in light of global trends in the delivery of government services which is increasingly being characterized by the digitization of processes, the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy developed the Nigerian e-Government Master Plan (Ne-GMP) with the vision “to create a world class, open and digitized government that connects with people to drive efficiency in public administration, responsiveness of civil services and transparency in governance leading to improvement of the quality of life of Nigerians”.

“This is in line with the Ministry’s mandate to Utilize ICT to drive transparency in governance and improve the quality and cost effectiveness of public service delivery in Nigeria. The Plan was developed with specific strategies that will improve the quality of citizen’s lives by enhancing national competitiveness, facilitating market economy, promoting participatory democracy, and improving transparency in the public sector.

“These strategies include the expansion of the number of public sector personnel trained on e-Government and the publicizing of e-Government initiatives at the Federal and State Level. Various Capacity Building Programs have therefore been developed to aid the attainment of this goal,” he said.

Dr Pantami stated that the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) was developed and launched in 2019 to reposition the Nigerian Economy in order to take advantage of the many opportunities that digital technologies provide. “This is in line with the vision of President Muhammadu Buhari to diversify the economy of Nigeria away from the dependence on the oil and gas sector, he said.

“As you may know, the NDEPS is anchored on eight (pillars, one of which is the Digital Literacy and Skills Pillar which provides policy backing for massive training of Nigerians from all works of life in order to enable them obtain digital literacy and other digital skills. An objective of the NDEPS is to support training and Capacity Building among public sector employees in the development and use of digital tools and applications to improve the delivery of government services.

“Furthermore, the Service Infrastructure Pillar provides support for Government Digital Services and the provision of robust digital platforms to drive the Digital Economy. This pillar supports the provision of a online platforms for government to interact with citizens and investors. It supports the deployment of government digital services and a paperless system. A key objective of the Service Infrastructure Pillar is the implementation of the e-Government Master Plan,” he added.

Dr Pantami also seized the opportunity to express his sincere appreciation to His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, for providing the vision and leadership as well as his unwavering support, saying that “we could not have been able to achieve what the Ministry and its Parastatals achieved without Mr President’s continued support and we are most appreciative.”

Earlier in his opening remark, the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, said that the training programme is a milestone to the Kano State digital economy journey.

He emphasized that a lot can be achieved together, especially in e-governance and digital transformation which has five milestone; firstly, is about moving government services online for users to conveniently access government services as well as cost reduction, while the second one is to have open data for the state to engage its citizens, getting more information and data economy; and the third is using digital technology to inform decision easily by the data you have.

The DG added that, digital governance, which is fourth on the list, is beyond enhancing existing processes, he said it is about using technology as a source of inspiration to come up with new way of delivering services, using technology to come up with innovation in the way you do your business and unlock opportunities for the citizens.

He said the fifth one is to make the government smart by using emerging technology to predict what is going to happen, what the citizens are going to think and how to shape and equip the citizens’ mindset within the state.

“The programme is about how to design digital economy, position Kano State Government to key in to the Federal Government digital economy initiative, and this can be done through aligning three things: people, processes, and the technology. And this training is going to expose you, build your capacity to make governance easier,” he added.

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