By Fortune Eromosele, ABUJA
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, has lauded the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG and the Policy Innovation Centre, PIC for the initiative of their digital economy programme in Abuja.
The project is the culmination of its partnership with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO to identify and boost the capacity of key digital players, and engender inclusive public-private sector collaboration to enable digital growth and capabilities in Nigeria.
In his remarks, Pantami said, “I commend the effort of the PIC of NESG towards the nation’s digital economy growth. We must come together to ensure that the digital economy is developed.
“The challenge of building the nation’s economy cannot be left with one institution or sector. Stakeholders must come together in order to support each other to ensure that the economy is developed.
“Our modest effort is focused on the implementation of the National Digital Economic Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria in the 2020-2030 implementation roadmap.
“As we all know, this was unveiled and launched by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on November 28, 2019 at International Conference Centre, Abuja.
“Within this period, in order to ensure the implementation of our national digital economy in Nigeria, we have developed 21 national policies and all of them are being implemented.”
Speaking in the same vein, Chief Executive Officer of the NESG, Mr Laoye Jaiyeola, said the inauguration of the community will drive collaboration between public and private sectors.
According to him, “The growth achieved by the digital economy offers great opportunities but also poses the risk of leaving some people behind. Access to and use of digital devices and services are neither universal nor equitable with women and girls disproportionately affected, leaving the most vulnerable digitally excluded. The absence of a robust collaboration framework between the regulatory agencies, the private sector and development partners is an area within the digital sector that requires attention.
“In light of these realities, the FCDO has partnered with the PIC of the NESG to inaugurate a Community of Practice- a platform to drive continued collaboration between the public, private and development sectors and ensure the inclusivity and sustainability of a vibrant digital ecosystem in Nigeria. The inauguration of the Digital Economy Community of Practice (DECoP) marks the culmination of consultative and collaborative work in the past year with a wide range of stakeholders.”
Executive Director of the PIC, Dr. Osasuyi Dirisu, emphasised the importance of bridging the digital divide through cross-sectoral collaborations amongst digital stakeholders.
She said: “At the PIC, we prioritise inclusivity and diversity, hence our partnership with the FCDO to implement this project. Without focused collaboration amongst stakeholders, the unintended consequences of digital economy growth will be the widening of existing income gaps, exacerbation of inequalities and deepening poverty. We firmly believe the DECoP will support an enabling environment for innovation, digital inclusion and expansion of the digital economy in critical sectors.”