The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, has said that his Ministry inaugurated over 1,667 Information Communications Technology (ICT) centres across the country.
The minister, who gave this hint during an interview session with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said more than 455 other ICT projects were ongoing in different parts of the country.
Pantami further disclosed that the ministry had developed 16 policies within two years for the purposes of supporting the current digital economy’s drive in Nigeria, adding that each state has benefitted from the various projects as all can boast of at least ICT Park in its domain now.
According to him, the National ICT Park is under the ministry serving its own role while the National Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre (NDIEC) is a policy developed to support ICT infrastructure.
The minister said: “Part of the implementation of the Policy is largely by National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and also it will provide office space for some of their activities.
“I want to confirm to you that there is no single state from the date I became a minister to date that we have not established a minimum of one class ICT Park.
“I have already commissioned one in 2020 in Lagos State University. We have already built an ICT park in Lagos University; this is one out of many. We have also provided the same intervention in the same zone in other institutions.
“I personally commissioned the same ICT Park in University of Port Harcourt. I travelled to Port Harcourt to commission it physically”, Pantami maintained.
On ICT capacity building initiatives, the Minister said that the ministry and its agencies had so far trained a total number of 219,198 citizens on advanced ICT skills aside the trainings taking place at the 1,667 centres.
He expatiated: “Within two years, we have trained 219, 198 citizens and most of them are advanced skills, not basic skills; in this, I have not included the training taking place at the 1,667 centres. These are ICT centres and projects combined together.
“The benefits of creating these ICT parks are many. We have job creation, providing digital skills and many more”, Pantami added.
