The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), as part of Nigeria’s efforts to diversify its economy through technology, has proposed a collaboration with the Republic of Namibia in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The reason for this, according to NITDA, is that Africa as a continent missed out on the First, Second, and Third Industrial Revolutions owing to large capital investment needs, but the Fourth Industrial Revolution brings with its limitless potential.
“All it needs is talent and a vibrant, young technological-driven generation. It is therefore imperative for African countries to encourage “Made in Africa” products by exploring and exploiting opportunities provided by emerging technologies to build an enviable global market standard.” NITDA said.
When the High Commissioner of Namibia to Nigeria and Permanent Representative to ECOWAS, Humphrey D Geiseh, paid a courtesy visit to the Agency’s Corporate Headquarters in Abuja, they reached an agreement on establishing a feasible avenue for digital trade resolution.
Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the Director-General of NITDA, expressed his satisfaction at the High Commissioner’s eagerness to work with NITDA to strengthen the connection and create technical goods between the two nations.
According to Abdullahi, the agency was responsible for executing the National IT Policy until the Ministry’s remit was expanded to include the Digital Economy in 2019. This, he claimed, was due to the fact that communications were not a goal in itself, but rather a means to an end.
He stressed the need of calibrating efforts and aligning them with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), which demanded the creation of a new Strategic Road Map and Action Plan by the Agency.
The DG added that Africa should leverage ‘Emerging Technologies,’ a key pillar in the road map, to develop and capture technical values.
