Nigeria to benefit from $4.7tr digital services exportation

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) have formed an alliance to enable Nigeria benefit from the yearly $4.7 trillion exportation of digital services.

A statement by NITDA’s Corporate Affairs Department, headed by Hajiya Hadiza Umar, said the alliance was in line with the Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Pillar of the agency’s 2021-2024 Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan.

It said the outgoing NEPC Executive Director, Mr. Segun Awolowo, lauded the partnership at an event to mark the consolidation of collaboration between NITDA and NEPC.

NITDA’s Director General, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa, who was represented at the event by the Acting Director of Corporate Planning and Strategy (CPS) Dr. Aristotle Onumo, said the partnership was aimed at facilitating the exportation of Nigeria’s digital services to the rest of the world.

Inuwa said the best would come for the country from more partnerships of this nature, especially between the public and the private sectors.

The NITDA boss stressed that there is need for synergy, exchange of ideas and knowledge sharing among them.

Awolowo said the partnership has provided about N150 million support grant to innovation hubs in three geopolitical zones of the country.

He said about N300 million in grants had been provided to support start-ups exporting and have the potential to export services in the Entertainment Tech, FinTech, EduTech and LogisticsTech sectors.

“We are also providing support to drive advocacy to ensure that Nigerian Start-up Bill is passed by the end of the year,” Awolowo said.

The statement listed some of the achievements of the partnership to include the Outsource Nigeria Initiative, financial interventions for six start-ups, support to three innovation hubs, setting up of skills acceleration centres and advocacy support for the Nigerian Start-up Bill.