Dubai|| Considering the level of contribution of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to Nigeria’s GDP, the country must begin to see it as an enabler of other sectors, said
Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, Chairman of Senate Committee on ICT & Cyber Security.
Senator Salisu who spoke told BusinessDay at the ongoing SuperBridge Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) noted that the members at the red chamber of Nigeria’s national assembly are supporting the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s push to leverage technology in growing Nigerian economy as well as reducing the cost of governance.
In line with the senators resolve to advance use of technology in government, Senator Salisu noted that as legislators, the processes and implementation of the budget for 2024 will ensure the money follows both the short and long-term agenda of President Tinubu’s administration. This applies to budget monitoring and implementation by all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Nigeria’s President Tinubu plans to ramp up spending by almost a fifth in his first budget since he was inaugurated in May to boost economic growth.
Tinubu, whose economic reforms have won approval from investors, is banking on the N26 trillion ($34 billion) spending plan to help raise growth to 3.76percent in 2024.
“The last assignment I did before I left Nigeria was to attend the unveiling of the National Digital Literacy framework which is not only for those who are in school. You cannot be talking about financial inclusion or asking people to participate in economic system without them being digitally literate,”
Senator Salisu further said.
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“If people are active participants in the economic system, you are growing GDP, creating more wealth, and banishing poverty,” he noted.
Speaking on further on the advantage Africa has when it comes to technology advancement like Artificial Intelligence (AI)
he said, “The advantage Africa has when you talk about Artificial Intelligence (AI) is also about the youths. While other continents have aged population, most African countries have youths on the greater side of its population”.
“We have the manpower and the talents that we can turn into skills. In this revolution Africa has an edge and technology we are talking about is democratised.
“The conversation we are having here indicates that the rest of the world is recognising that Africa is the next frontier when you talk about advancing technology in term of resources,” Senator Salisu said.
“We use to be known for our mineral resources, but the wealth of the nation is no longer measured by only mineral resources but by what your citizens carry around like workshop, laboratories, factories etc. Those things are in the head. They are no longer at physical locations,” he added .
According to Senator Salisu, “What African countries need to begin to look for digital literacy network so that our youth can, not only help develop our countries, but for them to also be global participants in information technology advancement. By so doing earnings foreign exchange for the country”.
The Super Bridge Summit has in attendance over 500 influential executives from the world’s leading corporates, investors, family businesses, and government organisations; over 70 visionary leaders from GCC, Asia, Africa and South America; and over 25 insightful multi-disciplinary sessions from over 20 countries.
The global economy is on the brink of major transformation. Six non-G7 economies are projected to dominate the world’s top 10 economies by 2050.
The SuperBridge Summit in partnership with GITEX GLOBAL, ignites, connects, and unites future-minded, action-oriented leaders from the world’s fastest growing economies to explore the rise of new markets, fast track partnerships and collaborations on transformative opportunities in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the rest of the world.
