The National Communications Commission (NCC) says it targets 100 million Nigerians for rapid Digital Local Entrepreneurs Development.
Mr Ephraim Nwokonneya, Director, Research and Development of the commission, disclosed this during a two-day forum organised by the commission for the North-East region which kicked off on Wednesday in Yola.
Nwokonneya said that the forum was designed to inspire minds of millions of Nigerian youths in innovating thinking approach, using digital technology.
He also said that the forum would bring out enormous digital technology potential aiming at removing millions of Nigerian youths from criminal circles to entrepreneurs and labour employers.
“This forum is targeting a lot on potential and harnessing Digital Technology for improving local entrepreneurs and closing digital Knowledge gap, to enable our young generation excel.
“The Digital Technology forum is complimenting and adding strength to President Muhammadu Buhari’s next level agenda of uplifting 100 Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years.” Nwokonneya said.
Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, said that the forum was to promote local content with emphasis on the Tech Eco-System, identifying unmet needs and facilitate Public Private Partnership (PPP)
Danbatta was represented by Chidi Diugwu, Deputy Director, New Media and Information Security in the commission.
He said that finding local solutions to the challenges of the telecommunications industry was a key policy of the present administration in the country.
Danbatta said based on the key policy, every government as well as captains of industry were expected to find ways to ensure they remain competitive and capable of fulfilling local demand.
“The Commission, in its efforts to encourage technological entrepreneurship and innovation in the ICT sector, embarked on visitations to various tech startups across the six geo-political zones to assess their development and challenges.
“We intent to assist various tech hubs with the right intervention and support to ease their operations ” Danbatta said.
Declaring the forum open earlier, Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri, represented by Secretary to the State Government, Bashir Ahmed , urged the commission to inaugurate its Yola ICT centre, to enable the people of the state get easy access to digital technology.
The theme of the Forum is : “Developing Nigeria’s Tech Eco- System Imperative For Improving Local Content.“
