President Bola Tinubu expressed his administration’s ambition to position Nigeria as the leading force in digital technology across Africa.
During a meeting with a delegation from Meta Platforms Incorporated, led by Sir Nick Clegg, former UK Deputy Prime Minister and Meta’s President of Global Affairs, Tinubu emphasized sustained investments in digital technology to bolster small businesses, broaden opportunities, and elevate Nigeria as a hub of information and communications technology on the continent.
Underlining the urgency for Nigeria to remain at the forefront of technological progress, Tinubu highlighted ongoing efforts to foster innovation, build capacity, and forge partnerships in the digital sphere.
He emphasized the significance of Nigerian youths in driving the country’s digital economic expansion, particularly through initiatives like the 3MTT programme, aimed at training three million youths in digital technology and essential skills before integrating them into innovation hubs nationwide.
Tinubu, as quoted by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, stressed the importance of equipping Nigerian youth with AI-enabled skills to compete effectively in the global economy.
“I can assure you that Nigeria is open for business. We want to lead the African continent in digital technology. Data is valuable to our development. We are ready to cooperate on technological advancements. It is the only way to go. We need a collaboration that will be a win-win for all.”
Emphasizing the importance of technology in driving small businesses, the President said he is committed to ensuring that technology is deployed, adapted, enhanced, and used to catalyze growth across a vast majority of micro businesses, spurring mass prosperity down the line.
“What interests me is the use of technology in the development of small businesses. We need to make the business environment more conducive for you and more profitable for us as well. I hope we can collaborate and continue to promote our mutual interests,” President Tinubu told the delegation.
Earlier in his remarks, Sir Clegg thanked the President for an executive order he issued, which enabled the landing of the Meta-backed deep-sea cable in Nigeria.
“It is an extraordinary infrastructure project. When it comes on stream in the first quarter of 2025, it will be twice as much as the capacity of all subsea cables that exist. We buried the cable 50 percent deeper than any other subsea cables under the seabed. It is more powerful and more extensive in terms of its geographical connectivity. It could yield up to 37 billion dollars worth of increase in economic activity in the next two or three years across the African continent,” he said.
Sir Clegg also said Meta will introduce in June 2024 a feature on its Instagram app that will allow Nigerian creators to monetize their content to enable them to earn a living using the app.
“We have a lot to do with Nigeria to deepen partnerships,” he added.
Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, said Meta platforms are critical platforms in Nigeria, and as such opportunities for partnerships and engagement are essential to promoting development in the digital economy sector.
“We must continue to engage to create opportunities for our people so they can also share in global prosperity. Digital technology is an opportunity to connect Africa to contribute to the development of the world,” the Minister said.