TECH DIGEST- Isa Ali Pantami, Minister of Communication and Digital Economy of Nigeria, was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to attend the second and the first in-person General Assembly of the Digital Cooperation Organisation (DCO). In this brief interview with BusinessDay’s Frank Eleanya who also attended the event, Pantami speaks on Nigeria’s benefits from being a member of the DCO and participating in all the organisation’s activities. He also spoke about the clamour for internet data price reduction. 

Nigeria was at the DCO LEAP conference last year where some initiatives were announced involving Nigeria and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. What has been the outcome of the initiatives, particularly the Startup Passport?

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There are many initiatives that Nigeria is the leading beneficiary of with regard to our membership in the Digital Corporation Organisation (DCO). Last year, Nigeria happened to be the first African country to join the DCO. The DCO organised a conference during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland where foreign direct investments were specifically mobilised for Nigeria. Investors were brought together by this organisation to indicate their willingness to invest in Nigeria. Since then we have been in touch with many of them. Many have come to Nigeria and others are in the process of coming. Some of them have registered their corporations as well. There are so many initiatives and to me, it is one of the leading initiatives that we have so far benefitted.

Secondly, we have also benefited from being with other member countries. As I earlier mentioned in my response, there is no monopoly on wisdom and knowledge. You will discover that each and every country has its own strength. So when you collaborate together you complement each other. Besides being in DCO, we established a very strong collaboration with member countries and we are working together particularly. We share with them our area of strength and they reciprocate with their area of strength. The one you have cited as an example is the startup passport, Nigeria is a major beneficiary and most probably among all the countries because in DCO no country has benefited from Startup passports like Nigeria. This year we brought around 16 startups. Last year we brought many startups as well. All of them are being supported by the DCO and they are assigned that Startup Passport.

What percentage of the new target set by DCO of 30 million jobs by 2030 do you think would be coming to Nigeria?

When it comes to giving statistics, I am a mathematician and also a computer scientist I know the implication of statistics. You have to do your homework. I don’t just cut figures anyhow and say them. I know that Nigeria and Pakistan have the highest population among the DCO members so far. By implication, we should work harder to leverage our population, secondly leverage our Nigerian startup strength which we are among the very few countries in Africa to have a law in place that will support startups and also we are blessed with talents in Nigeria. What we only need to do is to mentor and harness that talent. I believe by doing that we will be able to get a much higher number that is equal to the proportion of our percentage compared to other DCO members.

There is this issue that data price is still on the high side and there has been clamour by consumers for a reduction. What is your view on this?

If you ask about the price of data, I have already exceeded the target given to me even before 2025. We assembled a team of experts from government, academia, industry, and civil society groups that developed the Nigerian Broadband Plan 2020-2025. At the time that we crafted the plan in 2019, up to early 2020, the price of one average gigabit of data was N1,200 according to the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC). In that plan, our target by 2025 was that the price of one gigabyte of data should be brought down to N390. But today it is N350. That is N40 lower than the target of 2025.

So which price are you talking about? Should we give data for free? That is the next target and we are not yet there. But if it is the target of 2025, we have exceeded it by reducing it to N40. We reached the target and we exceeded it in 2022.

It is because of this that I do not think there is a need to reduce data price because of the cost of production. These companies within the internet communication sector are managing 32,800 generators every day in Nigeria. Second, fuel consumption, IHS was in my office the other day telling me that every day they consume one million litres of oil to sustain their infrastructure and facilities because of our challenge with the national grid. We have to acknowledge though that President Buhari has many initiatives today that are being implemented to increase the generation and distribution of transmission of our national grid.

Another statistic to share with you is that the average cost of one gigabyte of data in selected countries in the world shows that among 15 countries with the cheapest price globally, Nigeria is No 7 out of over 193 countries surveyed in total. So only a few countries have cheaper data than us. Our price is given at $0.60 per gigabyte. This is calculated with the official foreign exchange. It is similar to what I have told you.

You cannot compel companies to operate at a loss. They are for profit. If they operate at a loss, the government will not get revenue, citizens will lose their jobs and the economy will crash. This is not what we are after. We are only providing an environment where the price will be affordable. We believe it is now affordable. The government has been providing broadband to some institutions for free. Just last year, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the provision of unlimited broadband to 18 higher institutions of learning – 17 universities and 1 federal college of education. The implementation is being carried out by NCC today. The President also approved the provision of 20 markets with unlimited broadband to support commercial activities. These are the major markets in Nigeria. The universities are among the top in the country with the highest population. This is unlimited for both staff and students. A second phase is already in place and set to commence in the next few weeks. These show that the government is very responsible. Regarding the price of data, I think we have reached where we are supposed to be, at least for now.

SOURCE: BUSINESS DAY

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TECH DIGEST – The policy that has made it mandatory for phone subscribers to link their National Identification Number (NIN) to their subscriber identification module (SIM) has helped to curtail alarming cases of crimes particularly banditry and kidnapping, Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has disclosed.

Pantami, while addressing the media at a briefing organised by the All Progressive Congress Professional Forum, in Abuja this week, said the NIN/SIM linkage policy enforced since December 2020 has eliminated unchecked and an almost unlimited capacity of criminal elements to perpetrate their activities.

According to the minister, “when I was assigned to supervise the sector on 24, August 2019, unregistered, and partial registered SIMs were being used to perpetrate crime in the country. Nobody knew the total number of unregistered SIMs.

He sad within only 15 days in office, he directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to carry audit exercise to enable them come up with unregistered and partial registered SIMs.

“They [NCC] came with around 9.4 million which is enough to populate another country. It was the first time. We didn’t know the total of unregistered SIMs in the country.

“By September 2021, no unregistered SIM will be on our network”
“We went further to direct NCC to ensure that by 25th September 2019, that is only one month few days in office, to ensure that by end of September 2021, no SIM that is not registered will be on our network. NCC as a regulator implemented that effectively.”

While supporting the claims of the minister, Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, added that the policy has eliminated the criminal practice by some telecommunication agents to offload illegally pre-registered SIMs onto the networks.

“That has been eliminated” said the telecoms regulator even as he explained that bandits and kidnappers now resort to use the SIMs of their victims to demand ransom.

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By Inyene Ibanga

TECH DIGEST – It is not news that a Daily Independent newspaper story with the headline, “Disquiet As America Places Nigerian Minister On Watch List”, claimed that the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, had been placed on the terrorism watch list of America’s intelligence service.

The story went viral as several media organisations rushed to push the story to satisfy the desire for ‘content’ that tickles the fancy of their various audiences in cyberspace.

But, today it is news that Daily Independent has retracted the story and tendered an apology to the Minister. This followed its confession that the story was fake news.

Daily Independent admitted that, “We have since realised that the information contained in the story has not been verified to be true.” It declared that “The Minister mentioned in the story, Dr. Isa Pantami, is not known to be on American Terror Watch List, nor is he linked to terror organisations.”

Later some online media claim that Pantami was involved in a plot to assassinate a former Kaduna State Governor Patrick Yakowa more a decade ago.

Not only was this latest allegation faulted by Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) among othe groups, it was described as most distasteful and inciting reportage that could breach national security.

Fake news/disinformation is now an integral part of the digital life. It is ubiquitous, it has taken on a life of its own and it possesses the power to create conflict and chaos in the environment.

In fact, the spread of false information, fake news, disinformation and misinformation is linked to the use of social media and the increasing loss of trust in public or government sources in Nigeria.

Also, a growing proportion of consumers are using smartphones as their primary means of online access and more people are now favouring professional media outlets over social media.

Ironically, emerging technology happens to be the double-edged sword that both promotes and prohibits the spread of the menace of fake news. This is so because social media sites have the capacity to rapidly share and spread content among subscribers across geographical distances.

In the digital environment, content can be shared quickly and easily, and in the process, inaccurate and outright fake stories can rapidly find their way to the screens of mobile users at everywhere and anytime.

Technology and innovation offer users the choice of applying these as tools for creating growth or imperilling society. As such, technology should be used to propagate the truth and the fact as they relate to each specific situation and the persons involved.

While many people use these technologies to disseminate falsehood or fabricate insidious narratives, media organisations have the responsibility for peace and stability.

Therefore, Daily Independent ought to have done the needful in verifying the authenticity or otherwise of the story before going to press. Yes, they have expressed their regret over the avoidable blunder.

Despite massive awareness about the evils of fake news, digital technology provides opportunities for the menace to grow. Hence, it is imperative for media organisations and individuals to painstakingly use fact-checking technologies to verify content before they are shared.

Fake news/disinformation has eaten deep into the fabric of every society. And it is here to stay as more sophisticated digital tools/devices continue to hit the market.

But, fact-checking sites and applications abound on the internet for verifying every form of digital content and documents in cyberspace. There are various digital resources to facilitate the verification of content on the internet.

A simple tour of the internet provides access to the many fact-checking websites existing in different regions of the world. Those sites provide services on both political and non-political subjects.

The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at Poynter promotes excellence in fact-checking as a powerful instrument of accountability journalism, while AfricaCheck is the first independent fact-checking site in Africa.

Dubawa, FactCheckNigeria, and FactCheck Hub are among the different verification and fact-checking sites accessible to media organisations and others.

The latest fact-checking tools for news publishers combine artificial intelligence and crowd-sourcing to help reporters confirm the veracity of all types of content. They are invaluable to organisations with the primary mission of news and information.

If Daily Independent had visited any of the verification sites, the embarrassing situation would not have arisen at all. Still, the inherent lessons from this fiasco must be imbibed by every news and content production enterprise.

With every sense of responsibility, I appeal to the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami to accept the apology tendered by the Daily Independent.

I trust that the minister would continue to pursue Nigeria’s digital transformation project in his characteristic transparency and accountability that is most evident in the initiatives undertaken by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and other agencies under his ministry’s supervision.

As a matter of urgency, the minister should support NITDA to strengthen collaborations with the media by organising regular training on digital reportage for media practitioners just like the just concluded workshop  for journalists and social media influencers which held in Kano.

The National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) can do well by creating a department for verification and fact-checking of video, audio, pictures, and documents to help curb the menace of fake news and disinformation in Nigeria.

Inyene Ibanga writes from Wuye District, Abuja

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TECH DIGEST – With condemnations trailing the alleged linking of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Ibrahim Isa Pantami, to Boko Haram and other terrorist groups by a Nigerian newspaper, the Embassy of the United States of America in Abuja could not confirm the allegation.

Responding to a request for clarification over a media report linking the Minister to terrorism, the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy could not provide any information but referred PRNigeria to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency.

In a short message to PRNigeria it states that “Thank you for your inquiry, however, we defer all press inquiries on Minister Pantami to the FBI”

An unconfirmed report by Daily Independent claimed that the United States government allegedly placed Pantami on a watchlist for reported links with Boko Haram leaders without providing any source of the claim other than citing the “America’s Intelligence Service.”

Further investigation via the official website of FBI, Mr. Pantami’s name was nowhere to be found in the list of Most Wanted Terrorists, Fugitives or other Criminals.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Advocates for Digital Reporting (NADIR) has condemned as sensational and speculative media reports unleashed on the personality of Nigeria’s Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami in what it described as a desperate attempt to stop him on his transformative tracks by linking him up to terrorist associations.

The group which is an advocacy network for the promotion of Nigeria’s digital transformation and Media narratives towards creating awareness on Digital Economy opportunities says the development confirms the extent to which enemies of National growth and Development can go in order to stop the country from progressing.

The group in a statement by its Coordinator Mohammed Dahiru Lawal noted that it is a known fact the terrorist groups like Boko Haram Haram has continuously threatened the life of the Minister for introducing policies that seek to frustrate terrorist activities through his Ministry arguing that it is therefore ironic for the same personality to be associated with terrorism.

“First, the so-called report tried to establish a nexus between his alleged ties to terrorism and study in Saudi Arabia wherein Pantami studied in Nigeria, United Kingdom, and the United States of America, not Saudi Arabia.

“While the report failed to mention the official US Institution that allegedly placed him on a ‘terrorist watchlist,’ or backs its claims with a credible, verifiable and identifiable source, it tried hard to associate him with Boko Haram’s founder, Mohammad Yusuf in an old video in which Pantami was actually debating against Yusuf’s ideology of forbidding western education,” the group said.

It maintained that the Ministry of Communication was sleepy until Pantami took over and championed redesignation of the Ministry’s Name to include responsibilities for creating and formulating Policies for a sustainable Digital Economy for Nigeria which has achieved remarkable successes as reflected in the seventy-two pages compendium of achievements released to mark the one year of the Ministry’s existence.

NADIR, therefore, urged Nigerians not to be gulled by rumours and flat out lies that are meant to distract attention from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy laudable projects which is gradually placing the country on the path of glory.

By PRNigeria

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TECH DIGEST – The United Nations (UN) Deputy Secretary General, Mrs Amina Muhammed, has pledged the support of the global body to the country’s digital economy sector while urging the federal government to invest in technology.

Mrs Amina Muhammed, was speaking during a courtesy call on the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy (FMOC&DE) in his office.

She noted that “Technology is the lifeline of all other sectors from education to medical and financial services, and a lot of what the economy will see in the coming years will be determined by what we do now, in terms of investments”.

She noted with deep satisfaction the proactive and result oriented leadership style of Dr Pantami which has resulted in the quantum leap recorded in the nation’s economy.

She praised the National Digital Economy Policy which she emphasised was incredibly important within the framework of the 2030 agenda on the sustainable development goals of the United Nations.
“With the exemplary leadership we have in the sector, right now, the Nigerian government should really prioritise investments in the sector.

The United Nations really supports this sector and its leadership, to make sure that you are a big part of the success of Nigeria’s growth and development.

Technology is what will bring efficiency and connectivity in all aspects of life and especially in the green transitions”, the UN Deputy Secretary General said.

In his response Dr Pantami expressed his appreciation to President Muhammad Buhari for his efforts at diversifying the economy through various enabling policies and for making the sector a priority as the benefits are already manifesting.

He noted that the most recent figures published by the National Bureau of Statistics which puts the Digital Economy sector ahead of others with a 14.7% growth within the Q4 OF 2020 is a clear indication that the sector is indeed advancing.

This also indicates approximately 13% growth within the year under review.

The Minister expressed his gratitude to the United Nations for its support through its partnerships and collaborations with organisations under the global body and noted that more can be done in bridging the digital divide especially in the area of capacity building.

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Technology and digitisation are the bedrock of every thriving digital economy, spanning both advanced and emerging national economies. The transformative power of digital technology is having wide-ranging impacts on business in its entire ramification.

Globally, digital technology is accepted as one of the single most powerful enablers of innovation, entrepreneurship and competitiveness in all spheres of human activity. It is creating innovations in business models and also enhancing some of them extensively, within the purview of prevailing realities.

New businesses are forcing traditional players to reinvent themselves to stay afloat. This means that conventional entrepreneurship (creating products and services for a profit) is being replaced by alternative digital innovations, operating models and work practices.

As such, for businesses to remain competitive in the burgeoning digital economy, they have no choice than to develop strategies for guaranteed efficiency, productivity and healthy staff/customer experience.

Digital innovation and entrepreneurship are the leading catalysts of rapid economic growth in countries that have adopted the digital economy. This combination has helped to improve communication, collaboration, access to international markets and networking among businesses.

Entrepreneurs are adopting emerging digital technologies to achieve value addition in the products and services they offer to consumers. A large number of these consumers are increasingly relocating from the physical market place to e-commerce platforms.

Key drivers of transformation across the digital economy space include, but are not limited to: the Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain technology, Robotics, Quantum Computing, Virtual/Augmented Reality, among other emerging technologies.
The global digital economy is estimated to be worth about $30 trillion and there are projections it could generate about 123 million jobs by 2030.

In Africa, Nigeria is one of the few countries that is demonstrating an unwavering commitment to sustaining the enabling environment to entrench innovation and entrepreneurship.

So, the recent commissioning of the National Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre (NDI&EC) in Abuja, another project of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has further confirmed that Nigeria’s digital transition from the traditional economy to a digital economy is on course.
The minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami performed the groundbreaking with the support of dignitaries from the public and private organisations.
As a strategic area of focus, the ministry has the responsibility of positioning Nigeria to achieve seamless digital transformation through the provision of policies to spur more Nigerian entrepreneurs tap into the prosperity of the digital economy.

The National Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre represent the actualization of the federal government’s economic diversification initiatives and generating jobs and employment for the teeming young population as outlined in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.

Designed and constructed to close the gap between the industry and academia, the centre has the objective of replicating practical industry environment suitable for developing technology and innovations for achieving an indigenous digital economy.

According to Director-General of NITDA, Inuwa Abdullahi Kashifu, the core objectives of the centre include serving as a catalyst for creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship in public and private sector organisations; fostering development in emerging technologies and provision of enabling environment for technology startups to accelerate relevant innovations.

In addition, the centre would provide enabling environment for the promotion of advanced and applied research in Information and Communication Technology (ICT); and equipping indigenous businesses to become world-class service providers.

Again, the centre is expected to serve as a research hub for technology stakeholders based on Work, Live, Play and Learn concept to foster creative idea integration and accelerate innovation in a highly collaborative and immersive setting.

To realise the objectives that informed its establishment, modern facilities have are being put in place to create the ideal atmosphere needed to inspire logical, innovative, result-focused and solution-based deliberations among tech enthusiasts.

Key facilities in the centre include a Co-Working Space where innovative Nigerians would collaborate and brainstorm on common areas of interest in ICT through peer learning and knowledge sharing.

For the provision of technological advisories and training for indigenous businesses and institutions, the Business Research and Innovation Space is well equipped to serve as a meeting place for startups and potential investors.

Also, the centre houses many other state-of-the-art facilities among which are an Information Technology (IT) Museum; Demo Laboratories (for exhibitions of emerging technologies); R&D Hi-tech showrooms; Media Studio and R&D Hi-tech showrooms.
Other facilities in the centre comprise a Smart Data Centre; Network Operation Centre; Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Centre (CERRT) and Storage area/Archives to ensure Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability of official documents.
Sporting and recreational facilities (Gymnasium, Snooker, Table Tennis etc); a penthouse is available as a relaxation area for innovators and entrepreneurs that are likely to be working in the Centre for a prolonged period; while a Sick Bay will be fully equipped to operate 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

Incidentally, the facilities in the Centre will be fully automated to simplify activities and make the environment comfortable and efficient for stakeholders to experience productive connections.

In view of the foregoing, the NITDA and its parent ministry have once again taken another giant stride in their march to the successful implementation of our digital economy.

This National Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre and the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, launched in October 2020, represent a genuine consolidation of the digital transformation in Nigeria.
Indeed, it is heartwarming to know that plans are underway to site similar centres of in all the geo-political zones of the country to enable participation of more Nigerians in the globally-acclaimed MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Programme (MIT-REAP).

These centres are going to provide opportunities for communities to engage with MIT in an evidence-based, practical approach to strengthening innovation-driven entrepreneurial (IDE) ecosystems in the country.

More importantly, emphasis must be placed on regular training and re-skilling of workforces in the public and private sectors through well-articulated policies to always evaluate the design and quality of such training courses.

In all of these, it is apparent that the re-designation of the former Communications ministry into the current Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy is yielding the desired stimulus for prosperity national development.

Inyene Ibanga is Managing Editor of TechDigest, Wuye District, Abuja.

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TECH DIGEST – The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) Mallam Kasifu Inuwa Abdullahi, reiterated that ecosystem is a sure way in creating value, wealth and prosperity, especially now that Nigeria is on its course to become one of the leading digital economies in the world.
Abdullahi made this remarks today, in Abuja, during the unveiling ceremony of the first Nigerian assembled Hyundai KONA Electric Vehicle, launched by National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC).

He averred that creating ecosystem is the only way to easily get value that will enable growth, wealth and prosperity.

Abdullahi affirmed that with the introduction of electric vehicles in the country, the nation is definitely advancing towards a vibrant economy. He attributed the economic success of South Korea, which was not as developed as Nigeria 20 years ago, but today they have advanced in innovative technology.

The NITDA boss further agreed with the Minister for Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), who spoke earlier at the event, that innovation is a rebirth of the reassembling of cars in Nigeria, adding that Nigeria should advance in the participation of building parts and not only in the assemblage of the automobile.

He stated that NITDA is working with start-ups, and young Nigerian entrepreneurs to develop ground breaking ideas on automobile, using Internet of Things (IOT), renewable energy and others.

“This is an opportunity to work together to challenge our start-ups” he added, as he declared his passionate excitement about the launching of the electric automobile.

He explained further that the NITDA is driven towards innovation and technology advancement, affirming that the Agency is committed to implementing the National Digital Economic Policy and Strategy for a digital Nigeria.

“Our mandate is to create a framework for the planning, research, development, standardization, application, coordination, monitoring, evaluation, and regulation of Information Technology practices in Nigeria”, he said.

He reiterated that the recent ground breaking of National Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre (NDIEC) established by NITDA is in line with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) of the Federal Government and its commitment to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years as promised by Mr President.

“The NDIE Centre is intended to provide facilities that would encourage inquisitive perspectives and create opportunities for entrepreneurs to transform their skills to productivity. In addition, the Centre will provide the opportunity for start-ups to accelerate their innovations through design thinking sessions and co-innovation workshops,” he added.

Abdullahi also ascertain that the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, under the auspicious leadership of Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, is taking enormous strides in promoting the President Muhammadu Buhari’s digital agenda by ensuring that Information Technology becomes a relevant tool in the nation’s development.

He applauded the Director General, National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), Jelani Aliyu, and their partners, Stallion Group, for their innovation and contribution to the technological advancement of Nigeria.

He however, assured the NADDC and the Stallion Group that Nigerians have been very eager to use the Hyundai’s KONA, the first all-electric vehicle, since its first launch in Lagos on the 13th of November 2020.

Mallam Abdullahi, in company of other dignitaries, took a ride in the newly unveiled vehicle to the applause and admiration of everyone present.

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TECH DIGEST – The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mal. Kashifu Inuwa has argued that the digital economy being championed by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, is today the fastest growing economy in Nigeria and indeed the world.

The NITDA DG, who made this assertion in a speech he delivered at the groundbreaking ceremony of the National Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre in Abuja, also believes that to sustain and consolidate the growth, Nigeria needs to ignite innovation and entrepreneurship in the digital space.

“Digital economy is mainly driven by rapid business innovation, using digital technology to deliver new customer value proposition, new business model, new organizational structure, new customer experience, operational excellence and enhanced products and services, is today the fastest growing economy in Nigeria and in World in general,” he said.

He attributed the growth to the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic, which has impacted lives in an unprecedented way by moving many aspects of life such as work, education, economy and entertainment online.

Citing data compiled by Visual Capitalist, Mal. Inuwa stated in a single internet minute in 2020, the consumer spends more than 1m USD, over 42 million messages share via WhatsApp, more than 1.4 million people make video or voice call, over 150,000 messages shared on Facebook, more than 319 new accounts created on Tweeter, Linkedin users apply for over 69,000 jobs, more than 6,500 packages shipped by Amazon and over 200,000 people participate in Zoom meetings.

He disclosed that to build a vibrant innovation ecosystem, Nigeria decided to key into MIT program call REAP – Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program. According to him, REAP is a global capstone initiative that provides an opportunity for communities to engage with MIT in an evidence-based and practical approach to strengthen the innovation ecosystem.

The National Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre will serve as a platform for the MIT-REAP initiative.

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TECH DIGEST – The Minister of Communications and Digital economy, Dr Isa Ali Pantami, has stated that the Digital economy is projected to contribute 45% to Nigeria’s economy by the end of 2020. He noted this at an ongoing ICT stakeholders’ roundtable event.

According to him, the Digital economy covers the ICT sector, Digital services, Online transactions, E-commerce, Online payments, Transfers, Internet facilitated transcations, transfers, among others.

He noted that the Digital economy is contributing significantly the country’s gross domestic product giving instances of Financial sector which largely runs digital services as a key part of the Digital economy.

While noting the efforts towards the actualization of a Digital Nigeria, he noted that the Digital economy should not be left to just one Ministry and there is need to invest more in the Digital economy.

“This is the right time we need to work hard to develop our outsourcing for the digital economy “ he stressed.

Pantami also reaffirmed the Ministry’s readiness to ensure that the government makes the Digital sector more friendly for investments and innovation.

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