It centers around five main pillars: knowledge, policy, infrastructure, innovation, and trade. The Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy unveiled a strategic blueprint for the digital economy.
Nigeria Has Unveiled Its Digital Economy Blueprint
The blueprint outlines the ministry’s goals and objectives through five major pillars: knowledge, policy, infrastructure, innovation, and trade. Dr. Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, shared the strategic plan on his Twitter handle, showcasing initiatives and projects to be accomplished by 2027.
In the first pillar, which is knowledge, the Minister announced that the government will collaborate with industry stakeholders to train three million tech talents and emphasize job placement by the end of 2027.
During this time, the digital literacy of Nigerians is expected to rise to 70%, and there’s a plan to position Nigeria among the top 25% globally in six key research areas, including artificial intelligence (AI), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, blockchain technology, and additive manufacturing, as outlined by the Minister.
As per the strategic plan, the government is dedicated to talent development. They have established the ambitious objective of training three million early to mid-career technical talents within the next four years.
This training will encompass tech-enabled and tech-adjacent skills, core tech competencies, and advanced proficiencies, all aimed at equipping our workforce to excel in an ever-changing technology environment.
Our ultimate goal is to train a minimum of 1.5 million skilled professionals from our local talent pool and create opportunities for another 1.5 million talented individuals to succeed in the global talent marketplace, ideally through remote work.
In the second pillar, which focuses on policy, the minister explained that a well-designed and executed policy would establish a platform for innovation and entrepreneurship to flourish.
In the coming four years, our policies will emphasize the promotion of investment, research and development, and safeguarding intellectual property. This approach will draw talents and investments to invigorate the nation’s innovation ecosystem.
Tijani stated, “We have pinpointed nine key initiatives for review and implementation, including the National Broadband Plan, National Policy on Digital Public Infrastructure, National Policy on Telecommunications, National Blockchain Policy, National Digital Economy Bill, Nigeria Startup Bill, National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, National Data Strategy, and National Digital Literacy Framework.
Broadband Penetration Goal
In the domain of broadband, the Minister announced that the government will back the current plan to reach 70 percent broadband penetration by 2025.
Regarding the third pillar, which centers on infrastructure, the Minister mentioned that it will deal with spectrum management, digital public infrastructure, and other aspects. The goal is to achieve up to 50 percent utilization of identified spaces for innovation and tech-related initiatives.
He mentioned that the fourth pillar of the strategic blueprint, emphasizing Innovation, entrepreneurship, and capital, will offer a roadmap for Nigeria to use innovation, entrepreneurship, and capital as catalysts for the transformation of Nigeria’s digital economy.
In the document, the Minister stated that the fifth pillar of the strategic blueprint will serve as a roadmap to position Nigeria as a significant player in the African and global technology ecosystems. This is designed to increase inter-African trade by 500 percent by 2027.
