Nigeria working to become global outsourcing destination -NITDA
The National Information Technology Develoment Agency (NITDA) yesterday said, it was working to make Nigeria a global outsourcing destination, as part of
economic diversification efforts of the present administration.
NITDA disclosed this during an Online Stakeholders Engagement Workshop on the Draft “National Outsourcing Strategy for Nigeria 2020-2025.”
Speaking in an Opening Remarks, the NITDA’s Director General, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi said, the strategy was in line with Government initiatives and priority projects such as the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, Digitization of government services, lifting Nigerians out of poverty and transforming Nigeria to a knowledge based economy in the wake of the current global pandemic.
Mallam Kashifu said, Digital Services was one of the 8 pillars of Digital Economy Strategy, adding that Business Process Outsourcing was one of the emerging services Nigeria can provide digitally.
He said, 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.
He noted that Covid-19 was forcing organizations to cut bottom line cost, therefore, many organizations would leverage on the benefits of outsourcing for some business processes and focus on core competencies.
Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), according to him, 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,” he said.
The DG said, “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 on the power of 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,” he said.
Kashifu said, “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 implementation of the National Digital Economy Strategy. This resonate with what is happening globally.
“NITDA embarks on this journey to accelerate digital economy and transformion in Nigeria. 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. The policy identifies ICT as a key enabler and encourages investment in digital economy.
“In order to achieve these ambitious targets, the plan is focused on the following 7 critical pillars: Infrastructure,
Skill and Human Capital Development,
Branding and Promotion, Digital Finance and Incentives, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Trust, Privacy and Security, Multi Stakeholder Governance.
“At this juncture, it is my pleasure to present to you the draft document for your expert review and input to make it richer. We value stakeholders’ input because collaboration is one of our strategic capabilities in NITDA. And I believe we are all together in our effort to make Nigeria a better place for all and a force to reckoned with in the global business outsourcing market,” he said.
