POST COVID-19: NITDA Embarks on Accelerated Digital Economy, Transformation

Kashifu

The National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) has disclosed that it has embarked on moves to accelerate the actualization of digital economy and transformation in Nigeria.

This is an effort of leveraging on the gains of global ICT sector in the COVID-19 pandemic era.

NITDA Director General, Mr. Kashifu Abdullahi, stated this while addressing participants on an online event on the National Outsourcing Startegy; a policy document aimed at enhancing government ICT policies for effectiveness.

He noted that recent government initiative to make Nigeria a leading digital economy coupled with the government promise to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by NITDA under the supervision of Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy has refocused its effort to implementation of the National Digital Economy Strategy.

“This resonated with what is happening globally, as digital economy was emerging before covid-19 and now the crisis has made it more profound”, he added.

The DG citing Forbes Magazine said, ” The world’s 25 richest Billionaires have gained nearly $255 billion USD in just two months. Almost all of them leverage on the power of digital platform to get the whopping amount. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the biggest gainer.

“He made almost 32.5Billion USD in two months under lockdown and he has moved from the 7th richest person in the world in early April to the fourth-richest person today.

“Our Digital Economy Strategy has 8 pillars, Digital services is one of them. Business Process Outsourcing is of the emerging services we can provide digitally. In 2019, according to Grand View Research, the global business process outsourcing market size was valued at $221.5 billion USD and was expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.0% from 2020 to 2027. Covid-19 is forcing organizations to cut bottom line cost.”

Abdullahi however stressed that “Many organizations will leverage on the benefits of outsourcing for some business processes and focus on core competencies.”