Plateau Govt to explore blockchain use to develop economy

The Government of Plateau State of Nigeria is launching a collaboration with Algorand Foundation, the organisation focused on growing the ecosystem for the world’s most advanced, secure and reliable layer-1 blockchain, to develop pilot programs using blockchain technology. The Government of Plateau State plays a crucial role in the governance and administration of state services, and oversees daily operations in sectors ranging from judicial and legislative services to procurement and health care.

Working with the Algorand Foundation, the Government of Plateau State plans to test blockchain applications across multiple sectors.

“Nigeria has the leading digital economy sector in Africa, and our National Blockchain Policy was a groundbreaking first step towards blockchain adoption in the country,” said Director General, Plateau State Information and Communications Technology Development Agency (PITCDA), Engr. Datong, Dominic Gwaman.

“We look forward to collaborating with Algorand Foundation on real-world use cases that bring greater efficiency, transparency and access to public services, while creating new job opportunities.”

Algorand Foundation has invested significantly in Nigeria through software developer education across the country since 2021, with more than 500 software developers trained in 2023 alone. More than 10 percent of the developers trained in 2023 were from Plateau State, a testament to the tech talent present in the state.

The Foundation organised a series of events in December 2023 where 50 software developers attended a workshop, capped off by a policy dinner the following evening with representation from senior members of the Plateau State Government.

“We are excited to collaborate with the Government of Plateau State in capacity development to train software developers, as well as developing real-world use cases that provide social and economic benefits,” said Country Head for Nigeria at Algorand Foundation, Ben Onuoha.

In addition to the government partnership, the Algorand Foundation is supporting the local community and culture in Nigeria through sponsorship of The Incredible Music Festival (IMF) taking place from February 22-24, 2024 in Jos, Plateau State.

The Foundation is also organising a workshop with Algogems, an NFT marketplace, during the IMF to introduce creatives to Web3 and onboard them to the digital economy.