Shittu Advocates Synergy Among ICT Institutions

Barr. Adebayo Shittu, Minister of Communications, has advocated the need to strengthen the weak framework in the ICT sector in order to foster synergy among existing ICT institutions.

Shittu spoke yesterday at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Ministerial Retreat of the Federal Ministry of Communications held at the International Conference Centre of the University of Ibadan.

The theme of the two-day retreat is “Mobilising ICT Institutions for Driving Economic Recovery and Growth.’’

The minister said the retreat “is aimed at bringing together the strategic management staff of the ministry and its agencies to take stock of activities and achievements in the sector.

“The major objective of the retreat is to build synergy between the ministry and its agencies, strengthen the policy framework and agree on targets for the near future.’’

He stated that the strategies and initiatives on the ICT sector could be effectively achieved if the ministry and its agencies work in partnership.

The minister said that ICT had continued to expand the boundaries of possibilities, saying it had become more critical for participation in economic, political and social life at national and international levels.

“To reinforce our review process, we will be projecting the future by identifying smart, attainable, realistic and time-bound targets to guide our actions in the near future.

“There is no doubt that agreeing targets will facilitate our accountability framework with respect to the outcome indicators in the sector,” he added.

Alhaji AbdulAzeez Abdullahi, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said that the retreat was premised on restoring growth, investing in people and building a globally competitive economy.

He added that ICT being an enabler for economic growth and development was envisaged to drive the successful implementation of the Economy Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) if harnessed effectively and efficiently.

“Key sectors of the economy have recognised the importance of ICT inefficient and effective service delivery,” he said.

The retreat scheduled to end on Saturday would feature several presentations from the various agencies in the ministry to produce a National ICT policy.