SHALOM OLALEYE
The Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa said that digital economy has created a pathway for emerging technologies, providing opportunities for talented youths in Africa to emerge as global leaders, through harnessing their potentials.
Inuwa said this at the Leaders Without Borders Annual Business Summit and International Honors 2023 in London themed: “Business Beyond Borders, Global Partnerships and Sustainable Investments”
The DG recalled that NITDA as a government agency established in 2001 to help Nigerians in the use of Information Technology (IT), which at that time, less than five hundred thousand Nigerians had access to computer and was contributing less than 0.05% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the nation. Today more than one hundred and twenty million Nigerians have access to the internet not just computer. Information and Communications Technology (ICT), is contributing to more than 18.5% to the GDP.
Inuwa further revealed that, “Nigeria is thriving and has the most vibrant tech ecosystem in Africa, the fintech company which is almost twice bigger than the biggest bank in Nigeria.
“The biggest bank in Nigeria is about 1.6 billion USD in valuation, while Flutter wave is almost 3.6 billion USD. While looking into e-commerce, e-health, mobility and logistics, e-recruitment, Agric-tech, prop-tech, and smart homes which is booming in Nigeria and Africa in general”.
