The Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi has said that the agency is building ICT innovation hubs.
These hubs according to him would serve as places “where ideas and innovations are to be nurtured with the objective of bringing out solutions that will impact on the economy and create either direct or indirect jobs.
Abdullahi stated this while receiving the management of Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA) at the NITDA Corporate Headqarters, Abuja, Monday.
He described the partnership with AEA as imperative to President Muhammadu Buhari’s resolve to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years.
The DG stated that with the support AEA is giving to over 100,000 entrepreneurs in providing finances, workplace and information and Communication Technology, (ICT) support, it will help in driving the vision of the government.
He stated further that capacity building is one of the key pillars of the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and NITDA, stressing that it is necessary to build capacity of Nigerians in order to prepare them to participate in digital economy.
“Partnering with organisation like yours (AEA) will help in creating job opportunities for Nigerians that will aid economic growth and development of the country.
“Our doors are always open for collaborations that will move the country forward. The AEA management and staff are free to come to the Agency’s IT Lab (Hub) and use the facilities for researches and contents development,” he said.
Earlier in his remarks, the AEA managing director Mr Arabi Muhammed Tukur solicited for collaboration with NITDA in revamping the AEA’s ICT Hub with networking and computing devices for it to operate fully in IT value chain, create jobs and meet demand for IT goods and services in Federal Capital Territory.
Other areas of collaborations identified by Tukur include upgrade of the one stop shop to accommodate virtual interface, capacity building on ICT for staff and clients of the Agency, support for trainees of the creative industry with start-up kits and inclusion of AEA in the NITDA Digital Economy intervention and also to include the AEA in the membership of Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration programme (REAP) being promoted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, (MIT.)
The MD said the Agency has been supporting thousands of entrepreneurs with access to finances and working space, market linkage, mentorship, capacity building, continuous excellent support services covering Entrepreneurship and ICT training, Business Advisory, policy advocacy, microcredit and business expansion support and Information Technology support adding that the agency is confident that the support will greatly assist in achieving the deliverables of the MIT- REAP which will promote the Agency’s goal for facilitating business growth and eradicating poverty in Nigeria.
While commending DG of NITDA for gracing the closing ceremony of AEA skill acquisition training on photography and cinematography, Mr Tukur noted that the participation of NITDA boss provided insight into opportunities that abound in ICT sector.
The MD of AEA also presented an Award of Appreciation to DG of NITDA for his contribution in harnessing the growth and development of IT in Nigeria.
