NITDA saved N2.5bn through IT project clearance in 2017 – DG

The National Information Technology Development Agency [NITDA] saved N2.5billion through IT project clearance this year, the agency’s Director General, Dr Ali Isa Ibrahim Pantami, has said. Dr Pantami, who disclosed this Friday in a communiqué issued at the end of the e-Nigeria 2017 Conference in Abuja, added that the agency was able to do this […]

The National Information Technology Development Agency [NITDA] saved N2.5billion through IT project clearance this year, the agency’s Director General, Dr Ali Isa Ibrahim Pantami, has said.

Dr Pantami, who disclosed this Friday in a communiqué issued at the end of the e-Nigeria 2017 Conference in Abuja, added that the agency was able to do this by stopping many frivolous IT projects embarked upon by some Ministries Departments and Agencies of government.

He also disclosed that ICT deployment in Nigeria is growing at a very high rate thus positioning the country as one of the fastest growing economies in sub-Sahara Africa, with the sector contributing about 12.58% to the GDP in 2017.

He said NITDA was stepping up its efforts on local content development, infrastructural deployment, capacity building as well as creation and  review of existing regulations for effective ICT sector in the country.

He however bemoaned low patronage of Made-in-Nigeria ICT goods and services which resulted in considerable capital flight out of the country.

 

He urged Nigerian youths to focus on digital economy as it is an important enabler of economic growth ‘’since digital skills and technologies have the capacity to boost the productivity of every nation with such skills and technologies projected to contribute $2 trillion to the global economy by 2020.’’