ICT to contribute 21% to GDP in 2 years – Minister

The Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has said Nigeria will soon become a trillion-dollar economy because of the present federal government’s heavy investments in the ICT sector. Tijani stated this during the commencement of the Training programmes for 500 Data Protection Officers (DPOs) for the National Certification for Data Protection, […]

The Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, has said Nigeria will soon become a trillion-dollar economy because of the present federal government’s heavy investments in the ICT sector.

Tijani stated this during the commencement of the Training programmes for 500 Data Protection Officers (DPOs) for the National Certification for Data Protection, Nigeria and West Africa, organised by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).

The event was held in Abuja and Lagos simultaneously for the participants yesterday.

The minister equally said that Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would increase substantially within the next two years with 21 per cent of it coming from the Information and Communications Technology sector (ICT).

Daily Trust reports that the sector as of last year contributes about 17 per cent to GDP.

Tijani said the present administration is investing heavily in the ICT sector as a major driver of the national economy with specific attention to the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital transformation of government services, connecting the citizens with digital medical services and infrastructures and promoting entrepreneurship and innovations.

He urged the beneficiaries of the National Certification training programmes to take the training seriously as a unique government investment built on the foundation of trust for the pioneer beneficiaries.

“Nigeria’s economy would soon transform to over a trillion dollar economy, not just by the sheer size of its population coupled with the preponderance of vibrant youths, but with policies envisioned under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu,” Tijani said.

Also, the Minister of Youth Development, Engr Ayodele Olawande said the present administration is recalibrating the mandate of the Ministry for far-reaching collaborations with other ministries, agencies, and departments (MDAs) to promote inclusiveness and empowerment and create opportunities for Nigerian youths to excel in all fields of endeavours.

The National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji said about 3, 000 Data Protection Officers were initially penciled down for training, but due to financial constraints, the numbers were reduced because it took 2,000 dollars to train and secure certification for each officer.

He said certification is a global phenomenon that would open myriads of opportunities for the officers as there are millions of jobs waiting for them globally.

“Currently in Europe, 94% of companies lack people with requisite skill sets to drive the economy and in Nigeria, it’s about 99 per cent. Human capital is key and it is estimated that within the next two years, about 170 million jobs will be available globally with specific skill sets for professionals.

“Nigeria cannot be left behind, especially in the areas of data safety and privacy. We have within the last two years trained 55, 000 Nigerians on data protection and other relevant issues in the data ecosystem. But we need to do more because we have about 500,000 registered data controllers and each of them must employ at least a certified data protection officer,” Olatunji said.

The Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Malam Kashifu Inuwa; the Managing Director of NigComSat, Mrs Jane Egerton-Idehen, and the Commissioner of Police in charge of National Cybersecurity Centre, Force Headquarters, CP Uche Ifeanyi Henry who represented IGP Kayode Egbetokun among others spoke on the importance of the programme to the participants, youths and the nation.