The National Information Technology Development Agency (The”NITDA”) is the agency with supervisory powers to promote, develop and regulate the information and communications technology (ICT) sector in Nigeria.
Having identified the role of the ICT sector in earlier an communique (click here) as critical, the NITDA upon the direction of the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, has set up a ten-member advisory committee for technology and innovation ecosystem, to advise the Federal Government on creating an enabling environment for technology start-ups and ICT businesses to mitigate the potential impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on businesses.
The Director General of NITDA listed the terms of reference for the advisory committee to include the following:
- devising suitable strategies for the provision of affordable internet access to individuals and businesses;
- developing frameworks to facilitate access to financing for tech and tech-enabled ventures;
- devise modalities for encouraging the development and adoption of digital technology using support policies in line with the “work from home” directives of the federal government; and
- developing a support program for innovation hubs to facilitate access to remote resources by start-ups during the work from home as well as other forms of support the hubs may require to be sustainable.
We envisage a significant growth in the ICT sector during the COVID-19 pandemic and post COVID-19. We expect that in creating an enabling business environment that the NITDA adopts an inclusive approach that takes into consideration various stakeholders’ position.
For more information, please click here.
