ICT Experts Seeks Collaboration with Policymakers, Others

By Dipo Olowookere

Experts in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector have called for a partnership among policymakers in the government, private sector players, civil society and academic researchers to ensure that Nigeria explores the ongoing digital transformation across the globe, embraces its own digital future, and augments the benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

This call was made at the Inaugural Digital Economy Workshop Series for Nigerian Policymakers organised by Lagos Business School (LBS) in partnership with foremost technology company, Microsoft Nigeria.

Government Affair Director at Microsoft Nigeria, Rimini Makama, while speaking at the event, further expanded thoughts on the new digital economy.

Makama said, “Governments and educational institutions should continue investing in digital skills by creating more technical colleges which can be achieved by partnering with organisations who can help train and build a local technology ecosystem.

“We need to identify what Nigeria’s comparative advantage is over other countries, and what sort of labour force we should be developing by paying focus to what people in our countries do well that machines cannot do. “There also needs to be a shift in educational policies with an increased focus on vocational skills and other forms of certifications.”