TECHDIGEST – The director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Abdullahi, has restated the commitment of the federal government to implementing programmes to improve digital entrepreneurship and increase start-up businesses among the youth.

Abdullahi, said this during the opening of the National Innovation, Research and Software Summit (Innovation Challenge 2021) organised by the National Association of Computing Students (NACOS) in collaboration with the Financial Services Innovators (FSI) tagged “TechonDemand Hackathon”.

Speaking on the theme “Technology Renaissance For Innovation and Productivity” during the event held at the Nile University of Nigeria in Abuja, the NITDA boss encouraged the youth to make an impact by turning their innovations into products and services that can be commercialised.

“We have so many initiatives to help those with ideas to develop soft skills, to expose them to networks, to ecosystems, and access to funding. We want to challenge the Nigerian youth to come up with solutions to the problems of the country. This is the only way to create prosperity,” he said.

He said that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government through infrastructure and policies was diversifying the economy by creating the enabling environment for the youth to thrive in their software development and create indigenous content.

Abdullahi added that the agency was collaborating with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other agencies of government to get funds for the youth to develop their products, adding that they are working with universities to develop and build start-ups.

He said that the COVID-19 pandemic has provided a “golden opportunity for Nigerian youths to use technology to come up with new businesses, products and services”, adding that the NITDA Action Plan 2021-2024- has mapped out these strategies through its developmental initiative, which the youth can key into.

In his remarks, president of the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS), Professor Adesina Sodiya, noted that the NCS remains committed to promoting rapid national growth by providing necessary technical and professional support to technology providers.

Speaking earlier, the national president of NACOS Olamilekan Toyeeb Abolade, said the innovation challenge is to develop an interconnected, integrated, and all-inclusive ecosystem of the Nigerian citizens with the requisite services that enable individuals, retailers, small businesses to transact with one another seamlessly daily using digital channels.

“Our primary goal is to empower a new crop of innovative and creative young men and women, who will add technological value to every sector of the economy and solve real-life problems.

“We are geared towards building a generation of new technopreneurs, entrepreneurs, software developers, and an army of skilled and employable young people matching industry needs in priority sectors,” he said.

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TECHDIGEST – As part of efforts in aligning Nigeria with the trending global Information Technology standards, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi CCIE has admonished the younger generation, especially the Nigerian students to exploit the boundless opportunities presented by evolution of digital technologies in order to fully enjoy its benefits. According to him, the application of innovative technologies which when commercialized can yield a productive and vibrant economy.

He said this while delivering a keynote address at the annual National Innovation, Research and Software Summit 2021 organized by the National Association of Computer Students (NACOS) today at the NILE University.

Speaking on the Renaissance of Technology, the NITDA boss stated that the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR have come up with many initiatives to create an enabling environment in order to diversify the economy by promoting indigenous content.

He added that the launching of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) and the redesignation of the Ministry of Communications to include the Digital Economy are part of concerted efforts of the Federal Government with relevant stakeholders in actualizing Nigeria’s roadmap to a vibrant digital economy.

He mentioned that the rapid evolution of technology and innovation if adequately and adequately applied, can have significant positive impact on the economy of the country. “As students, it is important for you to think of ideas and nurture it so that you can create wealth for yourself even before graduation because in order for you to be innovative, you need to be able to commercialize your inventions”, Abdullahi averred.

Abdullahi however explained the importance of working as a team rather than in isolation stating that a lot can be achieved as a team.
“It is important for you to co-found any start up idea you have and work within the IT ecosystem because a lot can be achieved that way”, he said.

He emphatically stated that technology is basically categorized by Increasingly Capable Systems, Increasing Technology Integration and the Surveillance Capitalism which are threatening people’s jobs, enabling the ability to connect to anything and creating a quantified society respectively ought to be sources of inspiration to the students in creating jobs and prosperity for themselves.

He added that in line with the NDEPS, NITDA is working hard in achieving the realisation of a vibrant digital economy through deliberate efforts such as digital literacy and skills, promotion of indigenous content, digital innovations and entrepreneurship.

“NITDA has developed infrastructures and initiatives such as the the establishment of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), Digital States Initiatives, Providing IT Hubs, Technology Innovation Entrepreneurship Support (TIES) Schemes amongst many others,” he noted.

Abdullahi disclosed the Agency’s enthusiasm in working with universities with the aim of building startups and developing potential entrepreneurs from the academic environments.
“This is a model we are trying to emulate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which is one of the leading Universities that produce entrepreneurs”, he stated.

He further stated the Agency’s efforts in working with some universities on a project called the MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Programmes (MIT-REAP) which is a global initiative of the MIT as well with the aim of creating a viable IT ecosystem to produce a well structured developed economy.

“I want NACOS to key into these initiatives so that they can be inspired to build their innovative and entrepreneurial capacity in the innovation ecosystem”, the DG concluded.

Professor Adesina Sodiya FNCS, the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) president in his earlier remark expressed his excitement in witnessing the commencement of the great event by the National Association of Computing Students.
He gave his assurances that the NCS remains committed to promoting rapid National growth by providing necessary technical and professional support to technology providers. “the Society will continue to support and promote technological development and Information Technology businesses for sustainable development of our nation”, he stated.

By PRNigeria

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