COVID-19 pandemic is fast tracking Nigeria’s digital economy- Minister

The 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), as the contribution of the ICT sector alone is now more than 17per cent.

The Minister 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”.

Pantami said that the broadband plan 2020-2025 focused more on broadband penetration, stating that as at July 2020 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.

“We are making use of the covid-19 era to achieve digital economy development”, the minister said.

In his goodwill message, the director general, National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, represented by director, e-Government Development and Regulation, Dr Vincent Olatunji, described the event as apt, adding that, “as this is a new era and it is important for government to ensure that the infrastructure it need to keep governance up and running when all government organisations fully come on board to use the internet is already in place.”

Abdullahi hinted 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 government to deliver its services online which could only be achieved with corporate internet governance.

The NITDA boss 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” the DG NITDA said.

He revealed that when other sectors were losing money the IT sector was making money.

He explained that most government organisations went to sleep during the pandemic but for those in the IT sector, they knew they have no choice than to improve on what they were doing before and that was why offices were kept running.

Now most government organizations, according to him, 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.

The NITDA boss enthused that 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.”