The federal government said it will carry out research that will unlock the challenge of Information Technology (IT) skills in Nigeria with a view to bridging the gap the shortfall would create and position the country to be competitively prepared for it.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Umar Danbatta, who disclosed this said the research will be commissioned on behalf of the Federal Government by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and will be conducted by Co-creation Hub within six months of its launch.
The Minister while speaking as the special guest of honour at the virtual ceremony put together to launch the commissioning of the research yesterday opined that it has become imperative to carry out the assessment gap in order to build on the “modest achievements the sector has recorded in the last three years.
“The digital economy sector in Nigeria has been the crown jewel of the economy and it has been blessed with so many achievements and gains, particularly in the last three years.
“At the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a report that says 90 million IT jobs were created and with the population of the country, Nigeria ought to have contributed three to four million of jobs being created.
“This initiative will guide us to know the opportunities we have locally; the opportunities we have globally and what we need to do to ensure we bridge the gap that exists.
“There are 1,995 ICT companies in Nigeria and this research will take this into consideration and I hope at the end of it, we will have an excellent report that if implemented, would guide our country to make an informed decision for the sector,” he said.
While commending the initiative, the Minister observed that the research will make the small, micro and medium enterprises very effective because they are the bedrock of the Nigerian economy.