By Abubakar Yunusa
The federal government, through the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, said that the National Digital Economy and e-Government Bill will create an enabling environment for fair competition to promote innovation, growth, and competitiveness in the Nigerian economy.
The bill, which aims to provide a legal framework for the development and regulation of the digital economy, was read for the first time on the floor of the House of Representatives this week.
Speaking at the National Digital Economy with e-Governance first stakeholders engagement session with media in Abuja yesterday, the minister of communication of innovation and digital economy Bunji Tijani said, “I hope this will be the first bill that travels across the entire country.”
Tijani commended the Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybercrimes, Senator Salisu Shuaib, and the Chairman of the House Committee on Information and Technology, Representative Adedeji Omo, for their efforts in advancing the bill.
He said for those who follow the growth and trajectory of our economy in Nigeria, you probably know that the ICT sector contributed huge to our GDP
Tijani stated that the ICT sector is not just like many other sectors. “We can compare it to agriculture, transportation, or whatever you think, but this sector is the backbone of any country today.”
“Nigeria’s ICT sector is projected to generate up to $18.3 billion by 2026, just in about two years, which is just around the corner.”
“Today is a very special day. Again, I can’t appreciate enough what Senator Salisu is doing under his leadership for this bill because the bill we are here to discuss today will accelerate progress in our digital economy.”
“You can imagine, with everything I’ve mentioned so far, there’s actually no clear legislation that is pushing competition and ensuring development in that sector.”
In his welcome remarks, the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, said the whole idea of the bill is to serve as an enabler to ensure that we are able to achieve the goals designed for Nigeria, especially under this government.
Kashifu, represented by Barr. Emmanuel Edet, said the essence of the bill is to enhance the use of the digital economy in Nigeria, especially in government as well as in the private sector.
“As you may understand, the ecosystem is growing and there’s a need for us to harness the potential of this ecosystem in order to drive home our economic desires based on the advantages we have in terms of population, capacity, and other available facilities.”
“The bill basically tries to ensure that digital technologies are accommodated in our day-to-day lives and experiences. The first thing I want to speak on which the bill will seek to address is the validity of electronic or digital transactions.”
“So the whole essence of this engagement is to expose to you the thoughts of the government led by the National Assembly to re-engineer our processes, re-engineer our capacity to adopt digital technology, and move into an era where we will not only save costs but will improve transparency, as well as ensure that we create a competitive edge not only for Nigeria but for Nigerians.”
On his part, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybercrimes, Senator Salisu Shuaib, said, “What we are here to discuss today has the potential to transform our nation’s digital economy and position us for sustainable development in Nigeria.”
“The National Digital Economy and Legal Framework, which has undergone its first reading in the National Assembly, aims to provide a legal framework for the development and regulation of the digital economy.”
