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Different ICT initiatives including the continuous implementation of the digital economy guidelines by the federal governments is helping to greatly reduce the impact of COVID19 on the economy, said the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi.
The NITDA’s boss was speaking recently in Abuja while hosting the Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Major General, Jamilu Sarharm and his management team who were at the agency for collaboration.
Abdullahi expressed delight on how President Muhammadu Buhari is helping to firm up the country’s policy thrust on ICT in a way that is helping to reposition technology to play a more critical role in the diversification of the nation’s economy.
Some of those steps include “the redesignation of the Ministry of Communications to Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, the unveiling of Digital Economy Strategies and Planning and the Digital Nigeria project which focuses on digital capacity building and digital literacy – all of which are helping to reshape our economy in post-pandemic era,” said Abdullahi.
“These initiatives have helped because they are emerging globally and in Nigeria, what we have learnt from the pandemic just made them profound and we are all embracing digital technologies.
“A lot of things are going to change. We are not going to go back to normal life. In terms of businesses, some will close down and new opportunities will come. So we don’t want to be left behind. We want to be part of the people shaping the new normal we are currently facing,” added Abdullahi.
NITDA is focusing on building capacity and preparing millions of Niegrian youths to be actively involved in the transitioning to a digital economy, the NITDA’s boss said. While admonishing that people should explore the opportunities the crisis has provided to accelerate the trend that will shape the digital economy, Abdullahi reiterated the need for people to acquire requisite skills needed for digital economy.
His words: “When we talk about digital economy, we are talking about knowledge economy which human capital is a key enabler because knowledge is what influences the digital economy.”
While commending the agency for its initiatives at capacity building, Major General Sarharm said the NDA was seeking NITDA’s assistance in e-learning and capacity building.
His words: “The NDA has over 2000 cadets and things are changing and affecting modes of learning especially during the lockdown adding that the whole world is now driven by ICT, we want to engage in online training for our cadets.
“We can’t wait any longer than to come around here basically to seek collaboration and more importantly seek for assistance and expertise.
Abdullahi assured the NDA of NITDA’s support. “You talked about e-learning, capacity building and ICT infrastructure. We do all these as interventions and we will see what we can do now and those we can plan for next year.”
