‘ICT can provide jobs for millions of Nigerians,’ Senate President says

Saraki made the revelation during a recent meeting with visiting foreign dignitaries.

According to a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki said:

“Nigeria’s ICT sector accounted for only 11 percent of our GDP in 2014. In an era where we are looking to diversify the foundation of our economy, in 2017, ICT can be a key source of potential revenue and livelihoods for millions of our enterprising youth. But the only way this will be possible is if we augment the regulatory and political attention that we devote to the sector.”

“Nigerians are keen to adopt new information and communications technology in their workplaces and homes, to make life easier, better and more productive for them.

“Nigeria’s ICT space is fast-evolving and is the largest in Africa. With 86 million Nigerians online, the increasing proliferation of tech clusters and the growth of cross-border ICT services, we need to change the way that we think about ICT in Nigeria. We can’t stop thinking locally, but we need to start acting globally.

“We need to figure out how to push more Nigerian tech companies -- many of whom are run by young men and women -- to be competitive in the global marketplace. We also need to increase access to cheaper ICT solutions to our MSMEs that contribute 47 percent to our nation’s GDP.

“Most importantly, we need to develop our human resources by strengthening our school curriculum to reinforce Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning and adoption. There are many issues to be solved, but will sufficient cooperation, all stakeholders, public and private, can work together to harness the potential of ICT in Nigeria.”

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Saraki also spoke on the need to build on Nigeria’s current ICT structure, in order to utilize ICT and ICT services in order to positively impact on the daily lives of the average Nigerian.