Benjamin Babine, Abuja
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has advocated the use of creativity and technology innovation to fight the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The agency in a statement signed by Head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations of NITDA, Mrs Hadiza Umar, gave this advice as it joined the global community in celebrating the World Creativity and Innovation Day. The United Nations had declared April 21, as the World Creativity and Innovation Day.
NITDA said that innovation and creativity, especially in ICT, has become the strongest catalyst for sustainable economic growth and development across nations.
“It is not only necessary for developing new products and services but also, especially at this trying time of the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure the survival of the national economy, through various aspects of human development.
“These focus areas of human development, according to the United Nations, are wealth and job creation, creativity and culture, economic growth and strategies, and innovation and entrepreneurship”, NITDA said.
It further encouraged creativity and innovation ecosystem, as well as the general public, to embrace creativity and innovation as essential tools for harnessing economic potentials for expanding opportunities and solutions towards arresting the COVID-19 pandemic.
“NITDA is making progressive efforts at creating opportunities for the adoption of creativity and innovation aimed at addressing the country’s socio-economic challenges in different sectors of the economy.
“Such efforts necessitated setting up of the Office for ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIIE), a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of NITDA, to oversee and drive ICT innovation and entrepreneurship.