Politics

ICT Key In Transforming Nigeria’s Economy-Saraki

Published

8 years ago

May 2, 2017

SENATE President, Dr Bukola Saraki, has stressed the importance of information and communication technology (ICT) in transforming Nigeria’s economy and creating more job opportunities for the nation’s youth.

In a press statement signed by his special adviser on media and publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki in a discussion with some visiting foreign dignitaries, stated that developing an open and competitive ICT marketplace in Nigeria had the potential of contributing billions of dollars to the nation’s GDP.

According to him, “Nigeria’s ICT sector accounted for only 11 per cent of our GDP in 2014. In an era where we are looking to diversify the foundation of our economy, in 2017, ICT can be a key source of potential revenue and livelihoods for millions of our enterprising youths. But the only way this will be possible is if we augment the regulatory and political attention that we devote to the sector.

“Nigerians are keen to adopt new information and communications technology in their work places and homes, to make life easier, better and more productive for them,” Saraki said.

“Nigeria’s ICT space is fast-evolving and is the largest in Africa. With 86 million Nigerians online, the increasing proliferation of technology clusters and the growth of cross-border ICT services, we need to change the way that we think about ICT in Nigeria. We can’t stop thinking locally, but we need to start acting globally,” he added.

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