TECHDIGEST – Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Pantami, has explained that although Kidnappers and terrorists still negotiate for ransom using phone calls, significant gains have been recorded since the linking of sim cards with the National Indentation Number, NIN began.

The Minister who made the explanation in Umuahia, Abia State, during the World National Identify Day celebration, said that since the exercise commenced, there had been a notable drop in the number of calls by fraudsters to unsuspecting phone users.

He said that people should not expect innovation to wipe out evil overnight, arguing that it is a gradual process.

His words:”The issue of Kidnappers’ calls has actually reduced with respect to ransom by phones. The sanitation of the existing system cannot be done overnight. It’s an ongoing process.

” Those 419 calls we normally get most of the time have actually reduced because most of the numbers now are attached to the NIN.

” It needs a little bit more time before the entire system will be completely sanitised. But a tremendous impact has been made so far.

” At least for the first time, most people are scared of doing certain things with their phone numbers – making malicious calls.”

Professor Pantami who was represented by the Director of Research and Development at the National Information Technology Development Agency, Dr Collins Agu, regretted that the public outcry that greeted the blocking of unregistered sim cards slowed down efforts toward sanitising the telecom system.

READ ALSO: DG NITDA Canvasses For Safer Artificial Intelligence Utilization

” Recall that when the Minister came and blocked a lot of numbers, there was an outcry by the telecoms, and he relaxed a bit on humanitarian grounds.

” That is also slowing down the whole process because if he had gone the hardliner way, more would have criticized him. It’s a gradual process but some progress has been made.”

The Minister said that he had brought a lot of innovation in the Information Technology ICT, sector of the country.

“When Professor Pantami came on board the enrollment at NIMC ( National Identify Management Commission) tripled. For the first time in the history of Nigeria, ICT contributed 18.7% of our Gross Domestic Product, GDP.”

He further explained why he removed NIMC from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, saying it was to enhance its productivity.

” He was able to get NIMC out of the office of the SGF because you can’t have a digital economy without a robust ID system. ID creates trust, traceability and transparency”.

He commended Abia State for keying into the NIMC eco-system and promised the assistance of the federal government to the state in achieving the aims of the digital economy.

” Abia took the lead on NIMC eco-system adoption so much so that they even created a special unit on NIMC matters. Abia has strong activities going on at NIMC.

Earlier in her address, Special Adviser to the Governor on NIMC, Digital Economy, Ecosystem and other related Matters, Princess Chidinma-Apugo Osoagbaka, said that Abia had recorded tremendous progress on the NIMC eco-system.

According to her, Abia is the first state to create the office of Special Adviser on NIMC, Digital Economy and Eco-system.

She noted that the world’s economy is being driven by the power of digitalisation, assuring the preparedness of her office to actualise the intention of the Government toward a digital economy.

Princess Osoagbaka disclosed that over 80 million Nigerians had been enrolled in the ongoing NIN registration.

She said her aim was to enrol all Abians on NIMC before the end of Ikpeazu’s administration and urged Abians who had not enrolled to do so without delay.

In his remark, Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu represented by his Deputy, Sir Ude Oko Chukwu, said the benefits of NIN registration were enormous and urged Abians to get enrolled.

Source: Vanguard 

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TECHDIGEST – The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has been shortlisted for the Digital Communication Awards (DCA) for its campaign on Digital Innovation for Economic Prosperity.

The NITDA campaign is shortlisted in the highly competitive Public Affairs category and will square up against campaigns from the likes of the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA), PLMR Communication of the United Kingdom, the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber Wirtschaftskammer Österreich and IHK Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Kiel, Germany.

The DCA hosted by Quadriga University of Applied Sciences, Germany, was launched in 2011 as competition in online communications on both practical and academic levels. An expert jury formed by leading practitioners and academics review outstanding online projects and campaigns.

Confirming the nomination in an email, the DCA Manager, Valentina Neumair wrote: “I am very happy to inform you that your project ‘Digital Innovation for Economic Prosperity’ has been shortlisted in the category of Public Affairs for the Digital Communication Awards 2022! CONGRATULATIONS!”

“The jury meeting will take place on 1 September (from 09:00 to 15:00 CEST) and on 2 September (from 09:00 to 13:00 CEST). The meeting will be completely digital. The jury members will be divided in groups on Microsoft Teams. The nominees will present their projects one after another in a Microsoft Teams video call.”

The NITDA’s campaign executed by Image Merchant Promotion (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, involved the creation of an online portal, media coverage, weekly well-researched articles and a book presentation.

READ ALSO: Cybersecurity: Pantami Emerges first African Fellow of Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec)

The campaign which culminated into a book, “Digital Innovation for Economic Prosperity in Nigeria” authored by Inyene Ibanga examines and highlights the roles of regulatory bodies in promoting the use of Information Technology (IT) in all spheres. It also explores ways in which the country is not left behind on the deployment of technology tools in providing solutions to economic challenges.

The campaign endorsed by the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Professor Ali Ibrahim Pantami, enhances a positive perspective on Digital Innovation and Digital Economy and encourages the participation of critical stakeholders, investors and startups to key into the sector which later records an unprecedented contribution to the GDP.

The NITDA campaign won the Spokespersons Communication Award (SCA) 2021 and SABRE Certificate of Excellence at the Conference of African Public Relations Association (APRA) in Dar Salaam Tanzania 2022.

Notable brands among the shortlisted finalists for other categories of the Digital Communication Awards include the Council of Europe, Romanian Police, Qatar Tourism, FDI World Dental Federation, American Express, Nelson Mandela University, Al Jazeera Media Network, European Investment Bank, Daikin Air Conditioning Italy and United Grand Lodge of England.

Others are Bayer AB, Vodafone, Fazer Confectionery, McDonald’s Deutschland, Michelin, Roche, Siemens, EU Global Climate Change Alliance, PUMA SE, DHL Parcel, Coca-Cola HBC, BMW Group, Mitsubishi and Instagram.

By PRNigeria

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TECHDIGEST – The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami has assured ICT stakeholders including members of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) of government’s continuous support.

Pantami while speaking recently at the College of Fellows Breakfast Session of the NCS Annual Conference inside the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun state, said government sees the NCS as a partner in the formidable task of building and sustaining the country’s digital economy.

Earlier, the minister, who is also a Fellow of the NCS had led the Society’s Exco members on a courtesy visit to the Executive Governor of Ogun state, Prince Dapo Abiodun where the minister lauded the various digital economy initiatives of the government specifically commending the governor for setting up the first fibre optic factory in Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Pantami Unveils Books on Datafication and Cybersecurity at Emerging Technologies Forum

Pantami remarked that any investment in technology is “a wise investment that brings about economic prosperity.”

Governor Abiodun described Pantami as “the right man to lead the digital economy sector in Nigeria. We are very proud of you.”

Pantami, Chairman of the Nigeria Computer Society 2022 International Conference, also tasked stakeholders to see government as a strategic partner in achieving national ICT development and growth.

This year’s edition of the conference had its main theme as: “Smart, Secure and Sustainable Nation (S3N 2022). In attendance at the event where government functionaries that included Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi and National Commissioner, Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB), Vincent Olatunji.

According to President, NCS, Prof. Sodiya Adesina. the 2022 conference was designed to reflect the changing dynamics of the industry thus other sub-themes that included “intelligent cities, e-Governance, e-Health, Smart Securities and other modern-day technologies relevant for today’s applications,’

One of the key figures expected at the event was Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, an engineer and a grand patron of the NCS,

Highlight of the event was presentation of awards to the winners of National IT Whizkids Competition by the minister. The award ceremony is part of promoting ICT in high schools.

The NCS is the overall body for IT professionals in Nigeria. It has evolved in response to the pervasiveness of computing and IT in Nigeria.

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TECHDIGEST – As part of efforts toward the protection of the telecom industry, which contributes impressively to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami has insisted that Nigeria will no longer import telecom products and services that can be manufactured locally.

The Minister, who was speaking at the maiden edition of the Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE), 2022 held at the Landmark Centre in Lagos, said this will heavily reverse the trend of importation of all types of telecommunications products, especially where production in Nigeria is possible.

“Government had put efforts towards the protection of the telecom industry, which contributes impressively to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), by insisting on the drastic reduction in the reliance on foreign products. Thus, importation of such products like Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards that can be produced in Nigeria is discouraged,” he said.

The Minister, who commended the Nigerian Communications Commission for organizing the (NTICE) expo, also condemned the proposed five percent excise duty on telecommunications services in Nigeria. He argued that the Ministry, which oversees the industry, was not consulted and that the timing of such duty in a period of hardship as is being witnessed in Nigeria today is antithetical to the growth of the industry.

“I was not consulted before the decision on five percent excise duty was reached, and it was unfair to impose such a tax on an industry that was already burdened with other taxes and already contributing about 17 percent to the country’s revenue,” he said.

Pantami told his audience, including the Chairman of the House Committee on Telecommunications, Hon. Akeem Adeniyi Adeyemi, that his position was already shared by the National Assembly which was also not consulted on the issue before it was announced.

“We must do what we need to do to protect the industry. Beyond making our opinions known, we will take legitimate and legal steps to stop any plan against the interest of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said the objective of the NPPIC is to transform the enormous strides achieved by the telecom industry in the last two decades into long-term indigenous economic development outcomes for Nigerian companies and citizenry.

Danbatta said the Commission has taken various steps to ensure that the process of implementing NPPIC is painstakingly pursued through capacity strengthening, institutional building and strategic policy tools, which will further promote domestic and economic linkages, job creation and the participation of local Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in the telecom value chain via the supply of goods and services to the sector.

The Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE), 2022 was oragnised as part of effort to vigorously pursue the objectives of the National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector (NPPIC), through the National Office for Developing Indigenous Telecoms Sector (NODITS) domiciled in the NCC.

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TECHDIGEST – The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, professor Isa Ibrahim Pantami has assured the nation that Nigeria’s telecoms regulatory framework has been designed to address the challenges that may arrive with the advancement of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the country.

Pantami, who spoke at the twin event – Stakeholders Consultative Forum on Regulatory Roadmap for IoT Ecosystem in Nigeria, hosted by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); and the presentation of two books authored by the Minister, declared that Nigeria has already exhibited its preparedness to harness the potentials of this new service, as demonstrated in the reduction in incidences of cybercrimes in Nigeria over the past two years.

He emphasised the need for the type of consultations and brainstorming being hosted for IoT, as the International Data Cooperation (IDC) revealed that, by 2025, there will be about 46.1 billion IoT devices that are going to be interconnected globally and through this connection, the data to be generated will be up to 79.4 zeta bites,” he stated.

At a gathering that featured presentations by local and international experts, with the Secretary General InternationalTelecommunication Union (ITU), Mr Houlin Zhao, in virtual participation, Pantami said IoT is crucial to present-day emergent technologies considering its connectedness to devices in facilitating productivity, minimise waste as well as ensure a faster decision-making process where a massive amount of data can be analysed and presented for decision making.

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TECHDIGEST – The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, will publicly unveil two of his recent books at the Stakeholders’ Consultative Forum on Emerging Technologies, coordinated by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The Forum will take place on Thursday, the 14th of July 2022, from 8am at the Sheraton Hotel, Maryland, Lagos.

The first book is titled “Datafication of Society to Foster an Internet Economy” and the foreword was written by the Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Mr. Houlin Zhao. Mr Zhao has had a long distinguished career at the ITU and has served as the Secretary-General since 2014. The International Telecommunication Union is the oldest UN agency and is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies.

The second book is titled “Cybersecurity Initiatives for Securing a Country”, with the foreword written by the President of International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), Professor Mike Hinchey.

Professor Hinchey is a professor of software engineering at the University of Limerick, Ireland and was previously Director of the Software Engineering Laboratory at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland, United States of America. He was the leading graduating student during his undergraduate studies and he had his post-graduate studies at both Oxford University and Cambridge University.

Emerging technologies are playing a vital role in the development of digital economies around the globe.

READ ALSO: Pantami Unveils Book On Digital Innovation For Economic Prosperity In Nigeria

The two books of the Honourable Minister emphasize key aspects of emerging technologies, namely datafication and cybersecurity. With respect to datafication, it shows how data- its generation, processing and use play a critical role in determining success in the digital economy.

The book on cybersecurity discusses the importance of cybersecurity in protecting data and infrastructure to secure the digital economy of countries. Mr. Zhao and Prof Hinchey, both renowned global ICT personalities will serve as special guests at the public presentation.

The presentation of the books will take place during the Annual Stakeholders’ Consultative Forum on Emerging Technologies.

Professor Mike Hinchey will deliver the keynote address at the event. Other speakers include Dr. Soglo of Intel, United States of America (USA), Levin Born McCall of Regent Square Group, USA, Engr Richard Ogbuji, Chrema Technologies, Nigeria and other notable speakers.

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TECHDIGEST – Chairman of MTN Group, Mr. Mcebisi Jonas and the Group’s CEO, Mr. Ralph Mupita have commended the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami for Nigeria’s 5G roadmap.

Pantami met with the duo during a side meeting at the 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, also known as CHOGM 2022, taking place in Kigali, Rwanda.

MTN Nigeria and little known Mafab Communications Ltd emerged as the two successful winners of the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum auction for the deployment of 5G technology in Nigeria December.

The operators are expexcted to commence delivery of 5G services before ending of Q3, 2022.

In Kigali, “the leadership of MTN expressed their gratitude to the minister for his support towards creating an enabling environment for MTN to thrive in its largest global market- Nigeria.

“In particular, they commended the minister for the successful 5G auctioning and licensing process and they assured the Minister of their willingness to roll out 5G services in Nigeria as soon as possible,” said Dr Femi Adeluyi, Technical Assistant (Research and Development) to Prof Pantami.

The statement addded: “The MTN team also officially informed the minister of their decision to hold their next Board Retreat in Nigeria in July 2022. This, they said, is in recognition of the positive impact of Nigeria on their business.

“They also assured the minister of their commitment to expanding their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs in Nigeria.”

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TECHDIGEST – Breakthroughs in medicine, technology and science through innovations and innovative products have had significant impact in the economic advancement of the society by improving the lives of citizens and offering more opportunities which the government and the tech ecosystem can collectively leverage on.

Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy (Nigeria), reiterated this at the Co-Create 2022 International Tech Exhibition and Gage Awards.

The Minister who was represented by Kashifu Inuwa, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), expressed his utmost pleasure at the event which he delineated as being timely and strategic.

While describing the theme of the event ‘collaborative innovation for a better tomorrow’ as exciting, Pantami stated that the most important part of the innovative process is commercializing it.

READ ALSO: ITU Appoints Pantami To Lead World Summit On Information Society Forum 2022

He stated that “Innovation is a process of taking an idea from inception all the way to impact and while many people think innovation and invention mean the same thing, innovation is actually creating a market or democratizing access to your solution, product or services”

Underpinning his point with an illustration, Pantami cited that the telecommunications sector which was orchestrated by Mo Ibrahim in Africa about 20 years ago and which encountered so many challenges has now evolved into the biggest sector in Africa.

Giving assurances of the government’s support to Innovators in the country, he urged all players in the tech ecosystem to think and act like Mo Ibrahim with the mindset of creating solutions to solve the country’s problems.

ALSO READ Nigeria’s low ranking in Global Innovation Index 2020 not a surprise – Omeruo, Amos

“In Nigeria, we have many problems and we need more innovations to solve them. This kind of collaborations we are having here today can open doors for this because you cannot survive in isolation. Everything is about ecosystem”, he noted.

Buttressing his point further, the Minister holistically averred that the 5 critical stakeholders in an ecosystem are the Innovators otherwise known as the Entrepreneurs who start and grow businesses with ideas and solutions, the Human Capital Developers who discover talents and are the human components of technology, the Government who are the enablers of a level playing field for innovators, the Risk Capitals who invest money in startups and the Corporate Organizations who buy the products.

He further asserted that an effective collaboration of these 5 stakeholders in Nigeria will produce an excellent and viable ecosystem in the country.

Emphasizing the present administration’s commitment to the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) by effectively collaborating with innovators in the industry, Pantami disclosed that the Federal Executive Council has given approval for the Ministry and Agencies under its supervision to co-create solutions with the ecosystem in areas of procurement, IP & Patenting and giving Incentives to encourage the startups.

The Honorable Minister while giving further disclosure on how co-creating with the ecosystem can be achievable, highlighted that showing clarity on processes by all parties, unleashing energy, building trust, building stronger startups and devising policies to shape the future are key indices into establishing and sustaining a formidable ecosystem in the country.

“Whatever we do, we don’t do in isolation. We work with the ecosystem to co-create policies and co-create the regulations. Whatever we do, we do together. We believe that together, we can do greater things. That is why we are here to work with you and to co-create our future”, he concluded.

The technology exhibition, which was occasioned at the Landmark Centre, Lagos had in attendance, Mr Olatunbosun Alake, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Science and Technology; Dr. Krish Ranganath, the Chief Technical Officer of the African Data Centre; 100 tech exhibitors and other key players in the tech ecosystem and was geared at showcasing innovative businesses locally and across the globe with a physical presence in Nigeria.

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