By Samuel Oyejola
The Minster of Communication, Adebayo Shittu said Nigeria has benefitted over 16 billion dollars in information and technological infrastructure from China.
He said the also said that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is determined to build a better Nigeria through innovations in science and technology.
He said this on Thursday at the Digital Economic Forum 2018 organised by the Nigeria Institute for International Affairs and the Embassy of China in Nigeria.
“President Muhamadu Buhari’s administration is determined to build a better Nigeria through innovations in science and technology.
“The Federal Executive Council has approved a Science and Technology Roadmap 2017- 2030 and ICT Roadmap 2017-2020 to drive this initiative.” He said.
He also revealed that some Chinese corporations are working with the Ministry of Communications to rebrand Nigeria Postal Services through the e-post project aimed at reforming, and commercializing NIPOST for better services.
Shittu assured that his ministry is ready to provide efficient and multifunctional information system to improve modernization and computerization of NIPOST.
The minister for foreign affairs said that ICT has become key to ningeria’s strength towards attaining sustainable development especially in human development. “Leveraging on ICT has become key Nigeria’s strength towards attaining sustaining development especially in human development capital and other efforts being propagated in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.”
He asserted that the giant strides recorded by this administration in combating corruption and terrorism has emersly benefitted from ICT.
He also assured that Nigeria would continue to collaborate with China and other global partners in the fidl of Informatino and Communication Tehnology (ICT) in the bid to ensure digital economy for Nigeria.
The prospect for a digital economy in Africa and Nigeria in particular is predicated on the formation and implementation of infrastructure policy framework and regulatory initiate, human capacity and the approach of Nigerians in responding to changes in global and domestic affairs.
Nigeria shall continue to collaborate with China and other global partners in the field of ICT in the bid pertaining to the digital economy.
On his part, the Ambassador of China to Nigeria assured that China remain committed to building on the corporation with Nigeria and Africa at large in information and communiation tehnology with the Forum on China-Afria Cooperation (FOCAC) framework.
The FOCAC framework was formulated in 2015 in Johannesburg, South Africa to actively explore and push forward cooperation in information and communication technology and work together to narrow the digital divide in Africa and promote the building of an information society in Africa.
the managing Director of Huawei Nigeria, … while sayig that digtal transformation impact the community and the eonomy, he pointed out that Nigeria is one of the most important market in Africa.