FG Renews Efforts to Nurture ICT Innovators

The Federal Government has vowed to continue to nurture information communication technology [ICT] innovators in the country through the provision of friendly policies, enabling environment and legislative frameworks that support their growth.

Dr. Tunji Olaopa, permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Communication Technology, who spoke in Lagos at the DEMO Africa 2015 event, noted that ICT is an enabler for all sectors and spheres of life.

“As we realize day by day, we are compelled to embrace, explore and leverage on its roles to change things positively. From government perspective, we cannot afford to ignore the geese that lay the golden eggs – that is, the ICT innovators, the software and hardware developers, the ICT entrepreneurs.

“While they are incomplete without the entire ecosystem of investors, academia, and mentors and so on, we must continue to nurture them through enabling environment, platforms such as DEMO Africa, right policies and legislative framework that support their growth”, he said.

He added that the federal government is aware that ICT is one of the sectors that have steadily contributed to the national GDP from 5.46% in 2011, to 112.25% in the second quarter of 2015 with 6.26% growth in real terms.

“This has not happened magically without strategic inputs from all stakeholders. While we have strengthened our industry with policies, interventions, programmes the industry is also exploring the business opportunities of our fast growing and large consuming class (over 40 million people according to US McKinsey and Company) – by creating consumer facing ICT businesses across the country.

“While our ICT entrepreneurs are beginning to tap into this, there is still a huge opportunity for all players to democratize ICT entrepreneurship in order to leap frog into reaping in huge benefits of economic diversification and growth.”

He noted that DEMO Africa has begun to yield some positive results for African nations who have participated since its inception.

Since participating in DEMO Africa as far back as 2012, he pointed out; Nigeria has witnessed the emergence of at least 26 ICT startups with four in 2013, 14 in 2014 and eight in 2015. “They have created jobs, raising funds to grow their businesses, expanding the frontier of entrepreneurship.”

To deepen the impact that platforms DEMO Africa has created in our nation, he enjoined African governments to support innovation and entrepreneurship through various policies, initiatives and programmes that will not only support the ICT entrepreneurs, but also grow the innovation ecosystem.

“It is high time we stepped up our involvement in supporting them through various catalytic interventions, taking cue from other nations like the US, Britain, Israel, India, China.”

The focus of the present administration, he opined, is strongly hinged on diversifying the economy, creating jobs and wealth that will improve the socio economic lot of the people.‎