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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) recently held a one day stakeholders consultation forum on the National Outsourcing Strategy (NOS) in Abuja.
The forum was designed to give stakeholders an opportunity for input into the proposed NOS. Participants were drawn from the academia, government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), ICT related organizations and other stakeholders in the digital economy sector.
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The Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said that the stakeholders’ engagement is an avenue where the NOS will enable Nigeria to take advantage of the opportunities presented by global value chain, leveraging its competitive advantages of having the largest youth population in Africa, mature telecoms market, strategic geographic location, and vibrant innovation ecosystem to create millions of jobs.
According to him, the vision of NOS is to make Nigeria a prime global outsourcing destination. To achieve this, 7 strategic pillars have been carefully chosen based on the country’s unique environment and strengths, in line with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria.
He noted that, the strategy is also in alignment with the national development plan and addresses key focus areas of President Buhari’s plans for economic diversification, youth employment and security.
“We, in NITDA, call on all stakeholders to support the implementation of the strategy. This, we are confident, will facilitate the development of a resilient and vibrant digital economy,” said the NITDA boss who was represented by acting Director, Digital Economy Department, Mr. Salisu Kaka.
Adding: “As a national strategy, we encourage all stakeholders to cascade this strategy so that we can build a highly competitive market, making Nigeria the prime Global Outsourcing Destination.”
Presenting a paper on the NOS, Dr, Ayodele A. Bakare, Head of Digital Technology Adaption Unit, NITDA, summed up the main elements of the NOS which include the rationale, vision, mission, goals and objectives of the NOS as well as supporting pillars, governance structure, and implementation strategy.
He said, “the National Outsourcing Strategy which aligns with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy aims to deliver five million jobs in Nigeria by 2030.
“To achieve this ambitious target, the strategy is focused on seven critical pillars which include the following: Outsourcing, Infrastructure, Human Capital Development, Trust, Privacy and Security, Branding and Promotion, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and lastly, Finance and Incentives.”
