From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has expressed delight at the decision of the Microsoft Corporation to partner with the Federal Government for the benefit of Nigerians, especially the youth.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, quoted Osinbajo as saying this in a press release on Friday.
In a statement titled “Osinbajo welcomes Microsoft’s offer to support Nigeria’s Economic Sustainability Plan”, Akande said the firm offered to support the digital transformation arm of the Federal Government’s Economic Sustainability Plan.
According to the presidential aide, he support will be a continuation of the company’s investment in Nigeria after the establishment of an African Technology Development Centre in 2020.
Osinbajo spoke at Thursday’s virtual meeting he had with Microsoft Corporation team led by its President, Mr Brad Smith.
Osinbajo further noted that the company’s interest in supporting the efforts of the Federal Government is a welcome development and could be leveraged to address issues affecting the youth, especially in engaging them productively.
Speaking on the need to constantly engage with the youth, Osinbajo said Nigeria’s case is peculiar given that the youth constitute a larger percentage of the country’s population, hence the need for all stakeholders to pay more attention to that demography.
He said, “It seems to me that there is just a wave of general anger around the world and people are generally impatient. Impatient with government, impatient with practically all of the formal structures there are.
“But I am open and happy to hear what views there might be on trying to engage and engage even more with young people (and in our case, that is 70% of our population, if not more).
“So, we are really talking not just about the youth population but the Nigerian populace because that is the majority. So, whatever it is that we are able to deploy to be more inclusive, to engage, even more, is really a solution for the entire populace as opposed to a solution for just a segment of our population especially given the fact that young people constitute 70% or even more.”
On government’s efforts in developing the technology space especially in boosting viable sectors of the economy, Osinbajo said, “We have a digital innovation initiative which we hope will be the foundation for doing far more in the digital space than we are doing at the moment.
“Just looking at agriculture, this is obviously something that we have spent quite a bit of time and resources on especially in the past few years. We have also seen the development of a good number of agric-tech type companies and fin-techs that are also working in the agric sector. So, it’s a whole load of innovation around the agric tech space, especially in the past few years. So, I think we really are up for programmes that will support these sorts of agric-tech initiatives”.
Speaking on the partnership with Microsoft, especially the establishment of the development centre, the Vice President said “I have always wondered how Microsoft can just be a much more effective partner with us as a country.
“Beginning with the African Development Centre which I think is excellent, I think it shows the commitment of Microsoft in developing the digital centre here in Nigeria. And it also shows the company’s confidence in the sort of talents that we have and the commitment of government to ensuring that we develop that talent in the best possible ways that we can.”
Osinbajo assured investors of the commitment of the present administration in creating the right environment for businesses to thrive.
The Vice President said “We are all working to create the right environment for innovation and creativity. That remains an issue that we are dealing with on a daily basis, and I think that the challenges are the challenges of the sort that we are going to have to be dealing with (in my view) even in the coming years.”
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, was also quoted as saying during the meeting that the Federal Government has already put in place the necessary structures to partner with Microsoft and other tech companies in developing Nigeria’s technology ecosystem.
He said the National Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Policy, the National Policy on E-governance, among others, have been adopted by the government to support the growth of technology and innovation in the country.
Earlier in his remarks, Smith reportedly noted that his company’s vision for investment in Nigeria was one that would lead to the creation of Africa’s most viable technology ecosystem.
He said the company’s investment in Nigeria is a demonstration of its enthusiasm about the digital transformation ongoing in Nigeria.
“He proposed a 90-day timeline for stakeholders on the government side and from Microsoft, to iron out details of the various areas of collaboration,” the statement added.
