In furtherance off its sustained initiatives targeted at enhancing digital skills nationwide, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has signed a 15-year operational lease agreement with the Enugu State Government for the use of the NCC Digital Industrial Park and NCC Learning Centre located in Enugu.
Speaking during the lease agreement signing ceremony at the government house, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, said the initiative aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration to boost Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to $1 trillion by2030.
Maida maintained that the Governor Mbah-led administration in Enugu State hadclearly demonstrated its commitment to build Enugu State into a digital economic hub through deliberate investment in education, infrastructure, innovation and digital capacity.
He pointed out that the administration was well positioned to advance the objectives for which these facilities were established.
The commission’s EVC said: “Our expectation is that this partnership will support Enugu’s ambition to become a leading destination for digital services, artificial intelligence, startup incubation, outsourcing, research and technology-enabled enterprise.
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“We also expect these facilities to become spaces where young people acquire relevant skills, entrepreneurs transform ideas into viable businesses and local enterprises connect to opportunities beyond Enugu and Nigeria.
“These facilities were conceived as platforms for innovation, entrepreneurship and human capital development. They were designed to deepen digital skills, support startups, attract investment, create jobs and position Nigeria as a competitive destination for business process outsourcing, knowledge process outsourcing and other technology-enabled services.
“In essence, they were built not merely as physical assets, but as platforms for developing the people and enterprises that will power Nigeria’s digital economy.
“So, for us at the NCC, completing physical infrastructure is only the beginning. Buildings alone do not create innovation. People do. Ideas do. Entrepreneurs do. And partnerships bring all these elements together
“Investment in education and skills raises productivity, expands economic opportunity and strengthens the ability of individuals and businesses to create value”, Maida added.
In his remarks, the state’s governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, commended the Federal Government for the $1 trillion economy target for the country and for understanding that much of that growth would come from the states.
Noting that based on researches, AI will contribute about $20 trillion to the global economy by 2030, the governor said the emerging digital economy landscape should not be a space young Nigerians should be missing.
He expatiated: “We also believe that our talents, our brightest talents, should not be exported in person. We believe that they should export their talents outside the country from here, and that is why we see huge benefits in these assets in terms of job creation and opportunities for our young people.
“We are also looking at transforming the Digital Bridge Institute into a world-class AI institute. We will also transform the Digital Industrial Park. If you have followed the news, we have already taken steps, working with some teams from Qatar, to make sure that it becomes a certification centre for AI on the continent.
“I am sure that a few years down the line, we can come back here and be very proud of the decision we made today to activate these assets and to make sure that they are productive”, Mbah assured.
