E-Business
Minister Seeks Digitisation of Governance for Transparency, Cost Reduction
Dr Isa Ibrahim Pantami, minister of Communications and Digital Economy, has called on government at all levels to digitise governance processes to reduce cost, enhance efficiency and entrench transparency.
The minister made the call at the end of a four-day 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Communications and Digital Economy (NCCDE) held in collaboration with Imo Government in Owerri.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the minister was represented by Musa Istifanus, permanent secretary in the Ministry
Patanmi said that the IPPIS was initiated by the Federal Government to reduce the cost of printing payment vouchers, slips and other documents associated with payment of its numerous workforces.
He said that the decision reached at the 8th NCCDE meeting would create great impact on Nigerians in the penetration into broadband for e-learning across the nation.
The minister advised Nigerians to embrace Information Communication Technology (ICT) for effective communication and transmission of ideas.
Earlier, Istifanus had said that the Federal Government, through the ministry, had developed policies and master plan, including Broadband (2020-2025) targeted at covering 90 per cent of Nigerians, irrespective of their locations.
Speaking on the theme “Leveraging Digital Economy Policies and Strategies for Economic Recovery in a COVID-19 Era and Beyond”, he said that with ICT, people could communicate effectively with one another and do their buying and selling online.
Istifanus said that ICT had helped to break the barrier of close contact and overcome the hurdle of COVID-19 pandemic.
Sen. Yakubu Oseni, chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cybercrime, said ICT was pivotal to the transformation of economies and had accelerated the pace of globalisation and completely impacted on life and work in the society.
Represented by Ayoh Ogon, clerk to the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybercrime, Oseni said ICT had made the world a much safer place as the major vehicle for security surveillance and investigation.
He said that ICT had also become the key infrastructure in security and intelligence, education, banking, agriculture, health services, manufacturing, aviation, power generation, marine services, building technology and immigration services, aside others.
Oseni expressed regret that criminal elements around the world had turned the ICT revolution into a nightmare with sophisticated and severity attacks.
Oseni said that the yearly meetings of the national council, the highest advisory body to the government on policies, programmes and strategies on digital technology, had helped, in no small way, in the attainment of numerous objectives of the country in the area of technology.
He said the senate committee had been engaging in activities aimed at addressing the challenges of cybercrime.
Ikechukwu Umeh, the Imo Commissioner for Science and Technology, said the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy was created to facilitate ICT in the transformation agenda of Nigeria in the areas of job creation, economic growth and transparency in governance.
He said it was also to solve the problems of the various aspects of the economy notably education, health, taxation, commerce and industry, agriculture, tourism, transportation, banking, infrastructure development and skills acquisition.
Umeh described communication as key to technological advancement of any developed or developing economy.
He said the state ministry of science and technology had the mandate of developing ICT infrastructure, formulating state ICT policy, automation and re-engineering of government processes and businesses.
“It has, therefore, become imperative that technology must be embraced to enable a digital state that is more efficient, effective, accessible, secure and transparent that meets and serves the needs of individuals, businesses and institutions in the country.
“We firmly believe that ICT is the enabler for e-governance at both state and federal levels to catalyse economic recovery, revenue generation, job creation, security surveillance and service delivery,” he said.
NAN reports that the participants, drawn from across the states of the federation, commended the organisers for convening the event meant to update ICT stakeholders.
They said they had received more information on ICT in the country.
A participant, Sani Mohammed with the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Niger State, said they had been updated with ICT innovations from different states in the country.
He said one of the innovations was the upgrade from commercial domain name .com to top level domain .gov.ng for organisations and agencies.
“We are in the digital world, but the youth need encouragement from government in terms of capacity building and sponsorship. We commend the Federal and state governments for the efforts put in place for this programme,” he said.
Amaka Eboh, an entrepreneur from Imo, urged youths and women to embrace information technology for a better tomorrow instead of waiting for white colour jobs
South Korean authorities have temporarily blocked new downloads of the DeepSeek artificial intelligence (AI) app, citing concerns over the company’s handling of user data.
The country’s Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) announced the decision on Monday, saying that the Chinese AI startup had failed to fully comply with South Korea’s data protection laws.
According to PIPC, DeepSeek recently appointed legal representatives in South Korea and admitted to partially neglecting regulatory considerations regarding user privacy.
“The Chinese startup appointed legal representatives last week in South Korea and had acknowledged partially neglecting considerations of the country’s data protection law,” the PIPC said.
The commission added that the app’s service would resume once the company implements improvements in accordance with national privacy laws.
According to Reuters, when asked about South Korea’s move, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said the Chinese government prioritises data privacy and security, ensuring compliance with legal standards.
The spokesperson also said China does not require companies or individuals to collect or store data in violation of laws.
The ban follows similar actions by other governments.
On February 4, Australia prohibited the use of DeepSeek on government devices due to security concerns.
Italy’s privacy regulator recently blocked the AI service, citing the company’s failure to address data policy issues.
Taiwan has also warned about potential risks related to cross-border data transmission and information leaks.
Also, regulators in Ireland and France have launched investigations into DeepSeek’s data-handling practices.
DeepSeek gained global adoption for its advanced human-like reasoning capabilities and open-source model.
In January, it surpassed OpenAI’s Chatgpt as the most downloaded free app on the Apple store.
The African Union (AU) has officially designated Nigeria as the Digital Trade Champion under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Digital Trade Protocol, citing the country’s leadership in digital enterprise and innovation.
The endorsement came at the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government, which concluded on Sunday in Addis Ababa.
Nigeria’s proactive role in advancing the digital trade protocol, adopted in February 2024, was a key factor in the decision.
The AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol encompasses eight annexes covering crucial areas such as rules of origin, digital identities, cross-border data transfers, online safety, and financial technology. The protocol is expected to provide a robust framework for Africa’s digital economy.
According to a statement issued on Monday by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, former President of Niger Republic and AU AfCFTA Champion, Mahamadou Issoufou, praised Nigeria’s leadership, particularly for convening the Digital Economy Roundtable in January.
“No organization, region, or continent has negotiated or adopted such a comprehensive legal instrument on digital trade, positioning the African continent to benefit from the digital economy for innovation and job creation,” Issoufou said in his progress report to the AU Assembly.
He also highlighted Africa’s growing influence in digital innovation, particularly in mobile banking and financial technology, and noted that the protocol would create an enabling environment for young African entrepreneurs.
“The AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade will establish a conducive environment for these young people to fully participate in Africa’s digital economy,” Issoufou added.
Reflecting on the roundtable in Abuja, he commended President Bola Tinubu and his administration for facilitating discussions with key stakeholders.
“The Roundtable was attended by young pioneers in Fintech, mobile banking and other areas of the digital economy. It was evident from the discussions that young people are eager to take advantage of Africa’s digital economy through the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade”, he said.
Speaking at the AU summit, Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, described the AU’s endorsement as a milestone in Africa’s economic development.
“Africa has demonstrated global leadership by pioneering the first-of-its-kind AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade—establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework,” Dr. Oduwole stated.
She emphasized that the protocol is a “game changer” for the continent, predicting that it would generate millions of jobs, contribute billions to Africa’s GDP, and attract significant investments in digital infrastructure.
Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO has expressed concerns about the extreme risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI) falling into the hands of terrorists or rogue states.
Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO
He warned that nations such as North Korea, Iran, and Russia could adopt AI technologies to develop weapons capable of causing significant harm, including biological weapons.
Schmidt urged governments to oversee private tech companies, emphasising, “The real fears I have are not the ones most people discuss about AI, I talk about extreme risk.”
“I’m always worried about an ‘Osama Bin Laden’ scenario, where truly evil individuals take control of some aspect of modern life to harm innocent people,” he added.
With private companies driving AI advancements, he stressed the need for careful government monitoring and regulation. “It’s really important that governments understand what we’re doing and keep their eye on us,” he said.
His remarks followed a two-day AI summit in Paris, where the UK and the U.S. declined to sign a communiqué outlining the future direction of AI. The declaration on “inclusive and sustainable artificial intelligence for people and the planet” was endorsed by 57 countries, including India, China, the Vatican, the EU, and the African Union Commission.
The UK justified its decision, stating that the agreement lacked “practical clarity” on global AI governance and national security concerns.
Schmidt supports U.S. export controls restricting the sale of advanced AI microchips to certain countries, aiming to slow adversaries’ progress in AI research.
He also highlights the importance of international collaboration on AI safety, suggesting that cooperation with nations like China is essential to addressing global AI challenges.
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