NITDA to implement digital economy policy, strategy plan

The Director General of the National Information Technology Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa has reiterated the Agency’s commitment and  efforts to implement Nigeria’s National Digital Economy Policy and  Strategy Plan .

Inuwa noted that the Agency is set to explore, identify potential and take the necessary steps needed to harness such potential especially with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DG stated this during an Online Stakeholder Engagement Workshop on the Draft National Outsourcing Strategy for Nigeria 2020-2025.

“With the recent government initiative to make Nigeria a leading digital economy coupled with the government promise to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty, NITDA under the supervision of Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy has refocused its effort to the implementation of the National Digital Economy Strategy. This resonates with what is happening globally. Digital economy was emerging before COVID-19 and now the crisis has made it more profound”“According to Forbes Magazine, the world’s 25 richest Billionaires have gained nearly $255 billion USD in just two months. Almost all of them leverage the power of the digital platform to get the whopping amount. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the biggest gainer”

“He made almost 32.5Billion USD in two months under lockdown and he has moved from the 7th richest person in the world in early April to the fourth-richest person today”, the DG explained.

Inuwa said Nigeria’s Digital Economy Strategy has 8 pillars and identified Digital Services is one of them.

“Business Process Outsourcing is of the emerging services we can provide digitally. In 2019, according to Grand View Research, the global business process outsourcing market size was valued at $221.5 billion USD and was expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.0% from 2020 to 2027.“Covid-19 is forcing organisations to cut bottom-line cost. Therefore, many organisations will leverage the benefits of outsourcing for some business processes and focus on core competencies”

“Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) offers services such as administration, supply chain management, sales, paralegal, marketing, and customer care services. Players in the business process outsourcing compete in providing reliable and cost-effective services across industries and sectors such as government, healthcare, manufacturing, IT and telecommunications” Inuwa  said.

He said the Agency is putting measures in place to facilitate the Nigeria’s digital transformation.

“The journey started in 2017, with the introduction of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) policy to restore economic growth while leveraging on the talent and knowledge of the Nigerian people, especially the Youth”, He noted.

Inuwa identified ICT as a key enabler for investment in the digital economy noting that ICT is also one of the key ingredients of the policy.

“The strategy is in line with government initiatives and priority projects such as the economic recovery and growth Plan, digitisation of government services, lifting Nigerians out of poverty and transforming Nigeria to a knowledge-based economy in the wake of the current global pandemic.

“The strategy aims to foster an enabling institutional, legal, regulatory, technological and infrastructural environment for sustainable development and rapid growth of IT-enabled outsourcing industry in Nigeria. And we targeting creating over a Million jobs in Nigeria by 2025? Inuwa maintained

The DG added that in order to achieve these targets the plan is focused on 7 critical pillars which include Infrastructure, Skill and Human Capital Development, Branding and Promotion, Digital Finance and Incentives, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Trust, Privacy and Security Multi-Stakeholder governance.