By Angeline Mgbele, Bureau Chief, North
As part of the measures towards strengthening the nation’s Digital Economy, the Federal Government through the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy(FMoCDE) has inaugurated the Technical Working Committee (TWC) on the implementation of the National Data Strategy (NDS).
The Permanent Secretary of the FMoCDE, Dr. William Alo, who formally inaugurated the Committee, noted that the National Data Strategy which was developed by the National Data Technical Working Group, comprising experts from various sectors of the economy to address the critical role of data utilisation in Nigeria as well as harness the power of data to drive innovation, economic growth, and social development throughout the country.
While inaugurating the Committee, Dr Alo stressed that “The government recognises the significance of data access, ethical and responsible data usage, data privacy, data protection and data governance in ensuring the well-being and privacy of citizens while promoting innovation. We must collaborate across sectors, engage stakeholders and ensure that every voice is heard to harness the full potential of data.”
According to the FMoCDE Perm Sec, “the NDS roadmap will guide Nigeria in leveraging data to identify new opportunities, optimise existing processes and make informed decisions that accelerate economic growth.
He expressed gratitude to Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unwavering commitment to the “Renewed Hope” agenda and his vision for a data-driven Nigeria.
Dr. Alo commended Participants for their dedication and expertise which he described as the eventual driving force behind the successful implementation of the Nigeria Data Strategy.
The Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, while presenting a keynote address said the strategy, which was launched this year, aimed to harness the power of data to stimulate economic growth, innovation, and inclusivity in the country.
Mallam Inuwa while emphasising the strategic importance of data in driving the digital economy, made reference to some figures from the World Economic Forum and Statistics, where he highlighted the substantial value of the data driven economy as currently estimated to be over US$3 trillion and projected to reach US$5 trillion in the future.
“The digital economy is worth more than US$16 trillion, and digitally transformed enterprises contributed US$13.5 trillion to the global GDP in 2018. This year, it is projected to contribute a staggering US$53.5 trillion, accounting for over 50 per cent of the global GDP,” Inuwa said.
He maintained that the National Data Strategy revolved around seven key pillars that were crucial to Nigeria’s successful transition to a digital economy, which he enumerated to include Data Literacy and Skills, Data Security and Privacy, Data Sovereignty, Data Infrastructure, Data Harmonisation, Data Usability, Inclusivity and Accessibility.
Inuwa who further emphasised that data was the currency of the digital economy, urged the Technical Working Group to provide productive recommendations that would help regulatory agencies to effectively implement the strategy.
