The Africa Information and Communication Technologies Alliance (AfICTA) has called for greater investment in the digital economy and inclusive technology adoption to support Nigeria’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy.
The call was made on Tuesday in Abuja at the three-day 14th AfICTA Summit, held alongside the 20th Women’s Tech Week. The event’s theme was “Advancing Inclusive Economic Growth: The Role of Security, Digital Skills and Indigenous Content in Regional, National and SMEs Development.”
AfICTA founder, Dr Jimson Olufuye, said the digital economy could play a critical role in achieving the Federal Government’s economic target. He cited global and national initiatives, including the World Summit on the Information Society+20 Outcome Document, the Global Digital Compact, the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and Nigeria’s Digital Economy Policy Framework.
Olufuye said the summit would encourage collaboration, digital development and reliable digital identity systems to support cross-border trade.
Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of the High-Tech Centre for Nigerian Women and Youth, Dr Wunmi Hassan, called for deliberate efforts to expand digital access and skills among women, young people, children and senior citizens.
She said digital skills development should equip people with practical competencies to work, innovate and contribute to their communities.
AfICTA Chairman, Dr Segun Olugbile, said the summit also aimed to strengthen technical capacity among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and connect them with opportunities across industries.
Meanwhile, Cisco Nigeria’s Government Affairs Manager, Mr Ikechukwu Ibeawuchi, said effective data use could improve decision-making, productivity and service delivery while supporting job creation and economic growth.
He added that digital technology adoption among SMEs was essential to improving business competitiveness and helping companies identify market trends and growth opportunities.
Pre-publication note: Confirm the official wording of the summit theme and the source for the claim that SMEs account for about 60 per cent of businesses in Africa before publication.
