By Adedapo Adesanya
A 10-man team has been inaugurated by the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) with a task to come up with measures to cushion the impact of COVID-19 on Nigeria’s tech ecosystem.
According to Mr Kashifu Inuwa, Director General of NITDA, the committee will also be charged with providing insight for the government on how to provide an enabling environment for startups.
Not restricted to startups, the committee will extend its tentacles to small and medium scale businesses, and the technology ecosystem in general.
The committee comprises some carefully selected brightest minds in technology, entrepreneurship, the media, and creative industries. It was further charged with coming up with an inclusive and embracing roadmap for technology and creative media in Nigeria.
Members of the team include Mr Tomi Davies, President, African Business Angels Network; Mr Amal Hassan, Managing Director (MD), Outsource Global; Mr Bosun Tijani, MD, Co-Creation Hub; Mrs Juliet Anammah, Head, International Affairs, Jumia Group; Mr Kola Aina, Founder, Ventures Platform; and Mr Musa Baba, MD, Teasy Pay.
Others include Mr Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Co-Founder, Andela; Mr Collins Onuegbu, MD, Signal Alliance; Mr Kalil Zannah, Special Assistant to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy; and Mrs Amina Sambo-Magaji, the National Coordinator, Office for ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
The members of the new advisory committee were inaugurated remotely due to COVID-19 outbreak.
Some responsibilities according to NITDA that the newly inaugurated committee is charged with include: “Devising suitable strategies for the provision of affordable internet access to individuals and businesses.
“Developing a framework to facilitate access to financing for technology and tech-enabled ventures.
“Devising modalities for encouraging the development and adoption of digital technology to support policies in line with the Work From Home directives of the Federal Government.
“Developing a support programme for innovation hubs to facilitate access to remote resources by start-ups during the work from home.
“Devising a stakeholder engagement instrument for tech and tech-enabled startups.”
This would not be the first time some members of the newly inaugurated committee would be working together as most were also part of a 50-man Presidential advisory group on technology and creativity inaugurated in June 2018 by the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration.
