The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami has launched the Digital Nigeria Portal and Mobile App for the speedy actualisation of Digital Nigeria Agenda.
Dr. Pantami while speaking at the launch, Monday, in Abuja said, the launch was part of the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria.
He noted that the portal and the ‘Digital Nigeria’ Mobile App would enable Nigerians acquire high level digital skills from the comfort of their homes.
“Today, we are formally launching the www.digitalnigeria.gov.ng portal and the ‘Digital Nigeria’ Mobile App. We are committed to enabling Nigerians acquire high level digital skills from the comfort of their homes,” Pantami said.
The Minister said, the development of the National Digital Economy was anchored on the following 8 pillars as stated in NDEPS: Developmental Regulation; Digital Literacy & Skills; Solid Infrastructure; Service Infrastructure; Digital Services Development & Promotion; Soft Infrastructure; Digital Society & Emerging Technologies; and Indigenous Content Development & Adoption.
He said, “the effect of the digital economy is far greater than the ICT contribution shows. The Digital Economy encompasses ICT and all Digital Services, which includes all online activities in financial institutions, ecommerce, online tax payment, any form of online payment, online banking, etc. When we consider these, the contribution of the Digital Economy could be up to 45% or even more.
“Today’s launch is towards the implementation of the Digital Literacy and Skills Pillar #2. It is a follow up to the Mr President’s flagging off of the Digital Nigeria Programme on the 19th of March 2020 to support Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training for Nigerians,” he added.
According to him, “the Digital Nigeria Programme will provide a National Platform for improving the digital literacy of Nigerians and it will enable Nigerians from all walks of life to acquire high level digital skills.
“It will have a strong emphasis on Skills for Jobs and will include Nigerians in all strata of society, such as youth, women, children, internally displaced persons, people living with disabilities,” he said.
He outlined some of the objectives for launching the platforms to include the following: “to empower innovators and entrepreneurs with skills required to thrive in Nigeria’s emerging digital economy;
“To provide capacity building in a wide range of areas, including Digital Literacy, Productivity Tools, Web Development, Cloud Computing, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Database Administration, Networking, Programming, Internet of Things and Soft Skills;
“To create a platform to support a paradigm shift from degrees to skills and bridge the gap between the academia and industry;
“To promote the development and distribution of instructional materials in electronic format; and to create an enabling environment for building the capacity of Innovation Driven Enterprises (IDEs) and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through e-learning channels.”
