By Elizabeth Osayande

Experts have said Nigeria’s pathway to a digitalised economy was through the application and infusion of mathematical skills, and tools.

This was the summation at the 2023 international conference on mathematics sciences and optimization, with the theme: “Digitized economy: Challenges and the Imperatives of Mathematical Tools.”

Speaking at the event held at the University of Lagos, UNILAG, Akoka, the Director and Chief Executive Officer., National Mathematical Centre, Abuja, Prof. Promise Mebine, explained that the conference was organised to chart ways through mathematical formulae of having a digitalised economy.

“In the seventies and sixties, we did not have gadgets to work with. But today, we have very small gadgets that can translate whatever we are doing into digits.

“For instance, with the cashless policy introduced by the former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN governor, you discovered market women who embraced technology were able to transact business seamlessly through the use of POS.

“In other words, the essence of studying mathematics, the mother of all inventions, is to make life easy as everything we do in life deals with sizes and numbers.

”We are looking at ways mathematics, which leads to digitized economics, that resonates into competent economics, can help solve our unique challenges.”

On his part, the host and a Professor of Mathematics, University of Lagos, Prof. John Olaleru, who doubled as the President, Association of Mathematical Science and Optimization, said the programme was interested in how mathematics could be adapted to solve real-life