The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has established a multi Million Naira Intervention Project – The Information Technology Innovation and Incubation Park Building at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The project, which was commissioned on 17 of December, 2019 by the Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), FNCS, FBCS, FIIM, on behalf of Federal Government of Nigeria, is one of NITDA’s Intervention of ICT Centres for the South-South Zone saddled with the responsibility of harnessing indigenous ICT innovation and technology for entrepreneurship.
While delivering his special remarks, the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim, said the ICT Innovation and Incubation Park Building is to create more entrepreneurs in the sector and help create employment for our teeming youths in line with the Nigerian Government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) and diversification to the Digital Economy.
The Minister said, “The idea to establish ICT Skills Centres in six geopolitical zones was conceived when I was Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), while the present DG was serving as my Technical Assistant. We discovered there is no any intervention by NITDA in University of Port Harcourt. Though there was no written application from the management of the University, but we considered building this Innovation and Incubation Centre because the institution is very strategic in the South-south.”
“We have immense respect for this prestigious University because of her image and achievement since inception. University of Port Harcourt was once the best in Nigeria and 3rd in West Africa; we felt the institution deserved NITDA’s Intervention even without making a request,” he said.
Dr Pantami also noted that the Centre would identify young, brilliant and young Nigerians with crazy ideas from South-south geo-political zone and make them productive in the field through practical innovation and solve challenges in the sector.
“We have the talents and pool of enthusiastic young and vibrant technology innovators in Nigeria. I am sure if this center performs very well, it will definitely have significant impact on the transformation of driving digital economy,” he said.
The Minister further said, “President Muhammadu Buhari has been urging the cabinet to be fair to all and sundry, which is why NITDA always ensure no part of the country is left out in its interventions.”
Dr Pantami, however stated that Federal Government of Nigeria embarked on strategic implementation programme to diversify the economy. According to him, oil and gas can no longer be dependant because countries around the world, especially the developed ones, are switching to digital in almost all their means of activities, including transportation.
He said, “The Federal Government is quite aware on how important oil and gas is to the country, but the earlier we leverage on other sectors and diversify our economy the better, most importantly now, the whole world is running away from natural resource economy to knowledge-based economy. While digital economy does not occupy a peripheral position in the knowledge-based economy but rather a central position. It is because of this we find it necessary to establish skills acquisition centres all over the country.
Earlier in his remarks, the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, “said that the Innovation and Incubation Centre situated at the prestigious University, is meant for academia, industries, entrepreneurs, risk capitals and startups to meet in order to harvest and incubate ideas to drive innovation enterprise to support our driven economy. This is in line with economic diversification agenda.”
He said, “Federal Government, under President Muhammadu Buhari implemented economic reforms with some radical changes in our economic structure, which among others are Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council which was established in 2016, with a mandate to address bureaucratic challenges in starting and growing business in Nigeria, as a result of this reform, World Bank named Nigeria as of one of the countries in Ease of Doing Business Index and Industry Policy Competitiveness Advisory Council which was mandated to work with private sectors to come up with policy and strategy to accelerate the industrialization of Nigeria.
These reforms have three broad objectives: To restore economic growth; build globally competitive economy; and accelerate inclusiveness growth by investing in our own people. The government has identified ICT as a measure enabler. As a result of this, ICT sector has taken over oil and gas in terms of contribution to our GDP. In the second quarter of this year, ICT contributed 13.85% while oil and gas contributed only 8.08% to our GDP. To consolidate on this achievement, the government re-designated our Ministry, from Communications to Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
At NITDA, we are working in line with the new strategy from the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and we are focusing on some key strategic initiatives, one of them is Developmental Regulation to create opportunities. Early this year, we issued Nigerian Data Protection Regulations, which is an instrument that unlocks data industry. The regulation de-risks personal information, while our desire is to create jobs. We have so far licensed 27 Data Protection Compliance Organisations and they have employed over 600 people. Our target is to create 300,000 jobs which is achievable if we look at our population, statistically, there are over five million data collectors and processors in this country who are to comply with this regulation.
Furthermore, NITDA focuses on Digital Literacy and Capacity Building Initiatives, and that is why this Innovation and Incubation Centre has been built, so that we can get people from industries, universities corporate organisations that will come together to incubate ideas and create driving enterprise.
NITDA is trying to create new industries that can support digital economy through training of startups business by providing incentives on how we can intervene, train our startups and give them the skills they need. Recently a Nigerian, who was sponsored by NITDA, emerged as the Best Startups in Artificial Intelligence at Gulf Technology Exhibitions.
I want to urge the management of this prestigious University to make use of this centre in bridging the gap between academia, industries and corporate in order to create jobs for our teaming youth.
The Vice Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt, Professor Ndowu Lale, thanked the Honourable Minister, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) for facilitating the award of contract for the construction of the building while serving as DG of NITDA.
He said the University will remain grateful to Dr Pantami for this kind gesture that has now firmly established University of Port Harcourt as the first choice of destination for the study of Telecommunications Engineering in Nigeria and West Africa sub-region.
The Vice Chancellor also thanked the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, for his outmost contributions towards completion of the project, which according to him, has already created mark in the history of the University.
