Local content promotion: FG halts importation of digital technology products
By Ibiyemi Mathew
The Federal Government has declared that it would no longer accept importation of any digital technological product or service into the country until and unless the country is convinced that capacity to develop such product and service is not readily available in the country.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) made the declaration while delivering his special remarks at 2022 Digital Nigeria Conference, Exhibition and Award in Abuja where stakeholders in Digital Economy sector both within and outside Nigeria gathered in Abuja to brainstorm on the path to sustainable digital economy in the country.
The Minister maintained that the wisdom behind the stoppage of the importation of the digital technological products and services is to give effect to the Executive Orders 003 of May 2017 and 005 of February 2018 which give support to Local Content Procurements by Ministries, Department and Agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria” and the ‘Planning and Execution of Projects, Promotion of Nigerian Content in Contracts and Science, Engineering and Technology’ respectively.
He stated further that “even in the employment position that is publicized, as long as there are Nigerians that have the capacities to take up the challenges, it is not allowed for you to bring somebody from outside the country except is an agreement for transferring of knowledge and 40 per cent of our products and services must be retained for Nigerians.”
Prof. Pantami disclosed that the sector has been performing creditably well in the last three years which makes it the fastest growing sector and the highest contributor to the Gross Domestic Products of the country.
He said, “Digital Economy has in recent time recorded three unprecedented records. The sector contributed 18.44 per cent to the GDP in the last quarter according to the National Bureau of Statistics”.
Prof. Pantami expressed that the vigor in the implementation of the various pillar of NDEPS is facilitating the unprecedented achievements the sector is recording since the policy is approved in October 2019.
Meanwhile, the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has expressed optimism that with the several initiatives the Ministry and all its parastatals are putting in place, Nigeria can become the global talent supplier in the tech ecosystem in no distance time.
He said Nigeria is doing a lot in trying to position itself in the area of talent development because technology has two components; the technology and the people side of it-talent which we have in abundant in Nigeria.
According to the Director General, if Nigeria could harness her talents in the tech ecosystem, it does not need anything again “because talent alone is estimated at 8.5 trillion USD market value and Nigeria has the capacity to fill the global talent gap.”
