Nigeria’s digital economy attracted $4.4 billion in the last 4 years —NITDA DG

The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has said that Nigeria recorded investments worth $4.4 billion in the last four years. 

Inuwa stated this at the stakeholder press briefing organised by the Ministry of Women Affairs in commemoration of the 2023 International Women’s Day in Abuja with the theme ‘DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality’. He was represented by his Special Assistant on Strategy and Innovation, Mrs Iklima Musa Salihu,

According to him, this was achieved through the agency’s implementation of several strategic programmes and initiatives. 

Women’s participation in digital economy: He added that Nigeria could potentially and significantly boost its digital economy by ensuring the equal participation of women in the digital economy.  

Quoting statistics from the Council on Foreign Affairs, he said women’s participation in all sub-sectors of the digital economy is equivalent to men’s participation, and the country stands to gain a whopping 230 billion USD in GDP growth by the year 2025. 

Strategies being implemented: Inuwa stated that NITDA is implementing strategies including the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) to bridge the digital gender gap by ensuring that the digital skills training programmes incorporate children, women, internally displaced persons, and the physically challenged. 

• “In fulfilment of this strategy, we have taken many steps to drive our nation’s prosperity by boosting digital innovation for women, creating an enabling environment that maximizes the potential of all Nigerian women, promoting their ability to contribute to the economy, and ensuring their improved quality of life and well-being,” he said. 

He highlighted some of the key initiatives designed to support technology innovation including the Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation Support Scheme (TIES); Idea Hatch (iHatch); Bridge to MassChallenge Nigeria and MIT-REAP Abuja, which has translated into the establishment of a vibrant innovation ecosystem and creation of 33,500 direct and indirect jobs in 2020. 

• “In a bid to support digital literacy in women, we have conducted capacity-building programmes on ICT and entrepreneurship for 360 women in the various geopolitical zones,” the DG added. 

Inuwa stated that implementation of the Digital Literacy initiative increases women’s awareness, knowledge, and use of business tools that can help promote their entrepreneurial and career pursuits, increase distance learning and distance work programmes and opportunities, as well financial inclusion.