… As President Targets Positioning Nigeria As Digital Talent Hub
President Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed that through the Executive Bill that was initiated by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, the federal government aims to make Nigeria a global hub for digital talent. It was an executive bill that was.”
President Buhari, who spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at the commissioning of the National Shared Services Centre, a one-stop-shop for Ministries, Departments and Agencies to (MDAs) to interface with citizens, which also houses a Cyber Security Operations Centre, Network Centre and Call Centre, noted that the federal government has further partnered with leading global ICT companies to train Nigerians in cutting edge and high demand digital skills, in a bid to achieve its aim.
“This includes the training of five million Nigerians as part of a partnership with Microsoft Corporation. It also includes the training of an additional one million Nigerians in skills in areas such as block chain technologies, cyber security and data analytics, among others,” he stated.
He commended the giant strides made by the digital economy sector under the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy and other stakeholders, describing it as impressive.
While noting that the Information and Communication Technology Sector (ICT) had accelerated diversification of the economy, the president said the National Shared Services Centre will provide services that are swift, secure and seamless,
In his remark, Pantami appreciated the President for his support for the digital economy, pointing to the fact that the economy had witnessed turnovers in broadband/Internet penetration, skills acquisition for global competitiveness and infrastructure development, like the fiber optic cable, which was about 15,000kms in 2015, and increased to more than 60,000kms.
Pantami said there had been 2,255 interventions and programmes in the higher institutions of learning, secondary schools, and some private schools, and the quarterly revenue from ICT rose from N51 billion to N418 billion.
He added that some prominent institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S., had shown interest in researching the pace of growth in the sector.
The minister listed many policy interventions that had directly impacted on governance, institutions, markets and citizens, assuring that the ICT would enhance the process of diversifying the economy.
Also speaking at the event, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Muhammed Abubakar said 400 MDAs Agencies were already connected to the National Shared Services Centre.
At the close of the event, two young Nigerians, Kalim Haruna, who developed a system called “Sharp-Sharp’’ and Bashir Abubakar, founder of “Africa First’’, were honoured by the president for their creativity and ingenuity, and showcasing the nation’s talent in a global ICT conference.
