To enable its inhabitants to start creative firms in the state and participate in the global digital economy, the government of Ondo State is required to provide digital infrastructure and skills.
The National Information Technology Development Agency’s (NITDA) Director General, Kashifu Inuwa offered this caution during his keynote address at the Develop Ondo 2.1 virtual summit, which was hosted by the state’s Ministry of Regional Integration and Diaspora Relations. He talked about “Tech-Forward Ondo.”
Inuwa represented by Dr. Aristotle Onumo, Acting Director of the Department of Corporate Planning and Strategy, advised the state to train its people for jobs of the future. To ensure that its residents are digitally literate, the state government must prioritise education.
According to him, the continuous evolvement of technology in the state’s processes would make the state government adopt new technologies and leverage them to their advantage. He added, “For state government to effectively deliver on its promises of efficient services to the people, there is a need to be prepared to constantly adapt to the impact of technology in their operations.”
He said, “You have to create the enabling environment for increased efficiency and innovation to empower the public and private sectors to function effectively and collaboratively for the delivery of transparent, efficient, and cost-saving services to the people. This will not be functional without the availability of critical public digital infrastructure to facilitate digital innovation.”
While outlining the plethora of opportunities available to the state, Inuwa suggested that Akure, the state’s technological hub, replicate “Yaba,” consider a public-private partnership for a digital talent development programme that would enable talent export in specific areas, adopt the National Digital Literacy Framework for the state’s curriculum, host an innovation challenge for startups to solve local problems, engage the diaspora to mentor startups and develop digital infrastructures in the state.
He however urged the state to consider partnering with NITDA to drive digital innovation and entrepreneurship to increase the number of innovation-driven enterprises and expand Nigeria’s pool of talented innovators.
He said, “Ondo State provides a friendly base for nurturing these talented innovators whose ingenuity can be exported to impact the global digital economy and create wealth and job opportunities within the domestic economy. Through one of our subsidiaries, the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), NITDA will continue to execute programmes and initiatives geared to expand the tech innovation ecosystem across States of the federation.”
The Director General commended the state and the organiser of the programme for the initiative which he described as “momentous event to deliberate on ways to harness the abundant opportunities that digitalization and technological innovation offer.”
Nonetheless, he urged the government to think about collaborating with NITDA to promote digital innovation and entrepreneurship to raise the number of businesses driven by innovation and broaden Nigeria’s pool of gifted innovators.
“Ondo State offers a welcoming foundation for developing these gifted innovators whose creativity can be exported to influence the global digital economy and generate income and job opportunities within the domestic economy,” he stated.
“NITDA will keep carrying out programmes and initiatives targeted at extending the tech innovation ecosystem throughout the States of the federation through one of our subsidiaries, the Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI).
The program’s organiser and the state were praised by the Director General for their effort, which he called a “momentous occasion to discuss on how to harness the abundant
