The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) said it has enacted policies to help save 100,000 jobs and create 30,000 new jobs in preparation for post COVID-19 economy.
Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, stated this at the Innovation Support Network (ISN) North Regional Gathering 2020, a virtual event organised in collaboration with Ford Foundation.
Abdullahi said the agency had set up the Tech4COVID-19 committee, which came up with plans to ensure that people retain their jobs while creating additional ones in the post COVID-19 era.
“We swiftly initiated several policies and programmes for the technology ecosystem and startups to be able to withstand the impact of the pandemic. The agency has also rolled out these initiatives in order to ensure that technology continues to enable innovation and entrepreneurship while addressing challenges of the society,” he said.
He said the NITDA technology innovation and entrepreneurship support scheme would support startups and hubs across the country, noting that “with over 130 hubs in Nigeria, we are finalising plans to ensure rapid intervention is provided for hubs and startups based on competence and carefully selected criteria.”
He said the agency was following up the startups with highly innovative ideas selected for further incubation and mentorship, saying this action supported indigenous and local content policy, thereby creating more jobs.