WorldStage Newsonline: Mr. Kashifu Inuwa, Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has called on investors from Germany to invest in Nigerian technology. ecosystem, saying that it is highly valued.
Inuwa made the call on Tuesday in a statement issued by Ms. Hadiza Umar, NITDA’s Head of Corporate Affairs and External Relations.
Inuwa made the call while speaking in a meeting with Ludwig von Bayern, CEO of Startup Lions and a social entrepreneur, specializing in development aid for digital opportunities in remote regions of Africa.
Umar quoted Inuwa as saying that investing in Nigerian technology. ecosystem comes with many rewards.
The Director General spoke on the topic “The Evolution of the Nigerian Tech Ecosystem”.
He said that Nigeria provides opportunities for entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses quickly and conveniently.
“Nigeria’s future is much brighter than today because of the four comparative advantages the nation has over other countries in the world.
“Our large population with an emerging economic status positions us at pole height as a suitable investment destination in Africa.
“Africa is a continent with 54 countries and 1.4 billion people with 2.9 trillion Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“Nigeria alone has 15 percent of the population and GDP, so investing in Nigeria is like investing in Africa,” Inuwa said.
He further said that Nigeria’s economy was emerging because it “attracts 30 per cent of the continent’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), with more than $2 billion in the last year.
“The level of support that the government now provides to the tech ecosystem is unparalleled in the country’s history.
“There are so many interventions in terms of policies, laws and infrastructure to help companies grow.
“In 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari expanded our ministry’s mandates to cover the digital economy because he realized that communication is not the end but a means to an end.
“The end is how we can use technology for economic prosperity.”
Inuwa recalled the passage of Nigeria’s Start-up Act, the Executive Order on Ease of Doing Business, including other incentives such as Visa on Arrival and Business Incorporation within 24 hours.
He said: “All of these were aimed at transforming the country’s digital ecosystem. Nigeria has a young and talented population that is unique.
”Nigeria has high potential for social and economic impact and investing in the country would help the country solve its mirage of challenges.
“We have so many challenges that need innovative ways of solving, we have challenges related to healthcare, financial inclusion, education, transportation and logistics. “We have to keep in mind that IT or technology can give us faster solutions to solve all these problems.”
