From Emmanuel Adeyemi Lokoja
The Kogi State Government has commended the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy for establishing an Information Technology Innovation Centre in the State, saying the initiative is in line with the readiness of the State to deploy ICT in addressing development gaps.
Speaking in Lokoja on Tuesday ahead of the virtual commissioning of the project by the Hon. Minister of Communications, Dr. Isah Pantami, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr Kingsley Fanwo said the State has one of the most robust plans for the development of ICT in the country.
“What the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy has done is in line with our policy to radically provoke ICT revolution in the state with a view to building a generation of young people who are ready to take the ICT world by storm.
“As a Government, we have a Roadmap to achieving our ICT goals and the Governor of the State, Alh. Yahaya Bello is a tech-savvy Governor who believes Kogi should grow into the ICT Hub of the nation and also export ICT expertise.
“There is a resolution of the State Executive Council that our Printing Press should become a new platform. The new platform is to serve our purpose of Digital Economic Drive and Innovations.
“The establishment of the Information Technology Innovation Centre at the Kogi State University will therefore help our untiring drive at ensuring that we develop an incubation centre for hatching some of the best ICT eggs in the nearest future”.
Fanwo also disclosed that the Emergency Communications Centre established by the Federal Ministry of Communications is also ready for commissioning, saying the centre will be commissioned in the next few weeks by both the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Pantami and the Governor of the State, Alh. Yahaya Bello.
He said the administration of Governor Yahaya Bello will continue to commit adequate resources and attention to the development of ICT in the State.
“The Kogi State Ministry of Information and Communications is working hard to ensure we key into the administration’s ICT dreams and projections.
“We have projects that are ongoing which will shock the world when completed. The Kogi Open Governance and Accountability System (KOGAS) is a platform made possible by the Governor through ICT to ensure citizens participation in governance. It will soon be completed and launched by the Governor and we shall be inviting the Minister to witness what Kogi is doing with ICT”, he said.
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