Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), Henry Ikoh, has emphasised the need for collaboration and synergy in the area of human capital development to drive industrialization.
The Minister said this during a courtesy visit by the Secretary-General, Digital Corporation Organisation (DCO), Ms Deemah Yahya, on Tuesday in Abuja.
“Capacity building is key, when people are gainfully employed; thereby removing them from poverty, African people will not be struggling to go overseas because everything is here.
“We must collaborate in all areas in making sure that there is harmony in the world,” he said.
Ikoh said technology transfer is what Africans especially Nigerians presently need to fast track globalisation, adding that what is required in terms of digitization is cross-fertilisation of ideas, where people would be trained and retrained to ensure a better society.
Given that the whole world is going digital, and becoming a global village due to digitization, he said the STI Ministry is the mother of all technologies in Nigeria, particularly the digital ones.
He described the Ministry as the brain behind everything digital in the country, adding that all its research and development parastatals are geared towards a digital economy, and reassured of the readiness to partner with DCO.
Capacity building is key, when people are gainfully employed; thereby removing them from poverty, African people will not be struggling to go overseas because everything is here.
Earlier, Yahya, expressed delight that Nigeria was a founding member of the organisation.
She explained that her visit is not only to reiterate DCO’s commitment to empower digital transformation of Nigeria, but also to understand the ecosystem and the players in terms of the private sector.
She also listed other key players in the digital transformation process of Nigeria she would be interested to know to help them understand how to support Nigeria’s growth.
She said the DCO is a multilateral organisation with focus on advancing digital economies of member states.
“We represent 12 countries from three different continents, representing 600 million people in population and two trillion dollars in GDP and we are very happy that Nigeria had been a founding member,” she said.
Also commenting, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs Monisola Udoh, said Nigeria is open for partnerships that will support the country’s quest for digital growth.
She said: “We are in the digital economy now, globally and for any nation to take advantage of ICT to grow their economy, create jobs, fight corruption in their environment, and must embrace partnerships.
“No nation has it all, hence the need for countries to depend on each other for mutual benefits.” (NAN)
