The Hon. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, has said that the digital economy will contribute more than 45 per cent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), saying that the ICT sector has contributed over 17 per cent.
Pantami made this known while speaking at the virtual Nigeria Internet Governance Forum 2020 (vNIGF) with the theme: “Achieving Inclusive Digital Economic Development in the Post-COVID-19 Era”.
He said that the broadband plan 2020-2025, which focused more on broadband penetration, stated that as at July, the level of broadband penetration is 42.0 per cent and at the end of the year it will reach at least 50 per cent.
He said: “We are making use of the COVID-19 era to achieve digital economic development.”
In his goodwill message, the Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, represented by the Director, e-Government Development and Regulation, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, has described the event as apt.
Abdullahi added: “As this is a new era, it is important for the government to ensure that the infrastructure it needs to keep governance up and running when all government organisations fully come on board to use the internet is already in place.”
The DG maintained that the campaign to move government businesses online, which is eGovernance, has now become a reality, adding that there was no other choice than for the government to deliver its services online, which could only be achieved with corporate internet governance.
He revealed that the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation is set to formally approve and recommend virtual meetings, programmes and workshops for all government officials in the country in order to facilitate digital economy.
“A lot of people see e-governance as a bigger calamity but I see it as a bigger advantage for the sector,” he said.
The NITDA boss said that when other sectors were losing money the IT sector was making money.
He said that most government organisations went to sleep during the pandemic but for those in the IT sector, they knew they had no choice than to improve on what they were doing before. “And that was why offices were kept running. Now, most government organisations have keyed into this and there are so many reforms in the public sector, like the renaming of the ministry and the launch of the Digital Economy Policy and Strategy.
“With the pandemic, working remotely has become the norm even globally, whether you are a developed or developing nation, in the public or private sector you don’t have any choice but to use the internet to deliver on your services,” he said.
