Benjamin Babine, Abuja
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Pantami has on Saturday disclosed that since the launch of the Digital Nigeria Portal, 66,000 applicants have enrolled for various programs with 63,000 already certified.
The Minister who made this revelation during the first annual Digital Nigeria Day also said that over 100,000 applicants have been empowered under the various programs of the Agencies and Parastatals under the Ministry’s pu
Pantami said: “The Digital Economy has proven to be a veritable platform for the creation of jobs. For example, in 2017 alone, the digital economy contributed 5.1 million jobs to the economy of the United States. An official report in China also noted that digital economy created 191 million jobs in the country in 2018 and this was about 25% of the total employment generated that year.
“Furthermore, the recent changes in work patterns as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have also shown that the development of digital economies are no longer a luxury, rather they have become a necessity.
“Nigeria’s Digital Economy Journey
Bearing in mind the importance of a digital economy, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, approved our request to redesignate the Federal Ministry of Communications as the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy on the 17th of October, 2019.
“The change was officially endorsed at the Federal Executive Council on the 23rd of October, 2019 and the process of implementing a digital economy for the country began on the 24th of October, 2019, which was approved as the Digital Nigeria Day.
“The redesignated Ministry also had an added mandate of developing the digital economy in line with the focus of the Federal Government and the first step was the development of a Policy and Strategy to drive the development of the Digital Economy.”
The EVC/CEO NCC, Prof. Umar Danbata, said that enhanced access and connectivity are strategic to the achievement of the digital economy mandate. He gave kudos to Dr Isa Pantami for the celebration of the Digital Nigeria Day.
Mallam Kashifu Inuwa, DG/CEO NITDA, said that it is an exhilarating day in the history of the country. He commended the efforts of the Honourable Minister, Dr Isa Pantami for driving the digital economy to creating value for the country.
In his goodwill message, the DG/CEO NIMC, Aliyu Aziz Abubakar, said, “It is important to assure of NIMC’s commitment towards ensuring a strong foundational digital ID system is implemented as identification is central to realizing our country’s Economic Recovery and Growth path.”