Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu says his administration is investing in digital technology to sustain small businesses, expand opportunities across sectors, and propel Nigeria to become the lodestar of information and communications technology in Africa.
Speaking when he received a delegation from Meta Platforms Incorporated, led by former UK Deputy Prime Minister and Meta’s President of Global Affairs, Sir Nick Clegg, at the State House in Abuja on Thursday, the President said Nigeria couldn’t afford to be left behind in this age of technological advancements. In light of this, his administration is opening up channels of opportunities in information and communications technology, deepening capacity, and fostering partnerships.
In view of his administration’s 3MTT programme, which is training three million Nigerian youths in digital technology and essential skills before deploying them to innovation hubs across the nation, President Tinubu stressed that Nigerian youths are the most critical asset in Nigeria’s arsenal as it moves to achieve digital economic expansion.
“For us in Nigeria, we have a vibrant, gifted and resourceful youth population. Recognising that the future is most likely to be AI-enabled, we have to prepare our youths and make them ready to compete and participate in the global economy.
“I can assure you that Nigeria is open for business. We want to lead the African continent in digital technology. Data is valuable to our development. We are ready to cooperate on technological advancements. It is the only way to go. We need a collaboration that will be a win-win for all.” President Tinubu said.
Speaking on technology’s importance in driving small businesses, President Tinubu revealed that he’s interested in “the use of technology in the development of small businesses. We need to make the business environment more conducive for you and more profitable for us as well.” He told the delegation that he hoped they could collaborate and continue to promote mutual interests.
Earlier in his remarks, Sir Clegg thanked the President for an executive order he issued, which enabled the landing of the Meta-backed deep-sea cable in Nigeria.
“It is an extraordinary infrastructure project. When it comes on stream in the first quarter of 2025, it will be twice as much as the capacity of all subsea cables that exist. We buried the cable 50 percent deeper than any other subsea cables under the seabed. It is more powerful and more extensive in terms of its geographical connectivity. It could yield up to 37 billion dollars’ worth of increase in economic activity in the next two or three years across the African continent,” he said.
Sir Clegg also said Meta, in June 2024, will introduce a feature on its Instagram app that will allow Nigerian creators to monetise their content to enable them to earn a living using the app.
