The Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has affirmed its commitment to partnering with the Nigerian government at all levels to bring the benefits of ICT to millions of Nigerians.
This is even as it commended Nigeria’s digital economy progress, describing it as “pulsating and encouraging in the last three years.”
Vice President of Technology and Digital Cluster at DWTC, Bilal Al Rais, restated this commitment in Lagos when he led senior officials of DWTC to meet Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Nairametrics understands that the partnership would help to deepen Nigeria’s commercial capital.
Already in partnership with NITDA: The DWTC is already partnering with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and its parent ministry, the Ministry of Communications Digital Economy, to expose startups, private enterprises and government entities to global innovation and tech communities at the annual GITEX GLOBAL organised by the DWTC.
While commenting on the existing partnership, Bilal Al Rais said:
- “Collaboration is the soul of any innovation ecosystem. For innovators to thrive, there must be collaborations. The DWTC through the GITEX GLOBAL platform has for nearly 50 years now foster and encourage collaborations for different innovation ecosystems across countries, and helping to provide intra-nation partnerships and to do deals.”
Lagos welcomes the partnership: In his remarks, Governor Sanwo-Olu said Lagos welcomes any collaborations that can help it to retain its position as the biggest tech hub in Nigeria. He reiterated his government’s commitment to developing physical infrastructures across the state and investing in the growth of digital talents.
- “Lagos is working to remain the hub for technology infrastructure and digital skills and welcome collaboration that will further grow this vision and deepen the value proposition of the ecosystem,” he said.
Speaking earlier in Abuja at the just-concluded Digital Nigeria Conference and expo organised by the NITDA, Al Rais commended Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, for the upward growth of Nigeria’s digital economy.
He attributed the growth to the right policies and initiatives by the country’s leadership, saying:
- “In the last three years, we believe Nigeria has initiated a lot of policy and legal frameworks to encourage cross-border collaborations and engender investment including the new Nigeria startup law; the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) developed to provide the roadmap for Nigeria’s digital economy aspirations; its National Broadband Policy to build Nigeria’s e-readiness and prepare the way to expand access and bolster investment. The DWTC is here to support Nigeria’s drive for international collaborations through the NITDA and its parent ministry.”