FG Charges Nigerians To Be Digitally Creative

The federal government has said that Nigerians can contribute their quota to the country's digital economy by being digitally creative and initiating indigenous solutions to the country’s challenges.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, made this call on Tuesday at the launching of RatedArtisan Services Limited, a Nigerian-owned software solutions provider.

He said such initiatives are in line with the Federal Government’s target of achieving 95 percent digital literacy by 2030.

Pantami represented by Babangida Gilo, Head, Corporate Liaison and Advocacy Unit, National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, encouraged Nigerians to sharpen their skills with relevant knowledge.

He applauded the start-up digital company’s efforts, describing the innovative solutions as timely.

“Numerous activities being carried out in this company are no doubt gaining traction.

“This contributes in shaping our thinking towards not only maximising our socio-economic opportunities as a people but also creating a platform for advancing tech-driven entrepreneurship towards national development.

“Considering the increasing need for stakeholders within the ecosystem to discuss ways to better harness the vast opportunities offered by ICT, our current realities point to the fact that the future of the world economy is digital.

“IT is a wide-ranging tool that is already transforming every walk of life,’’ Pantami said.

The minister then urged more Nigerians to develop ideas that would fast-track the achievement of a digital Nigeria.

Speaking also, the Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, reaffirmed FG’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for start-ups to flourish and support in building a sustainable digital economy.

The Director-General, represented by the Acting Coordinator, Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation, Yakubu Musa, said digital innovation drives the economy.

According to him, providing the right kind of product and services is the driver of the ecosystem which will, in turn, boost the economy and create jobs.

“It is often said that it is where there are challenges that you have opportunities, and it is where there are opportunities that wealth is created.

“Today we are here to celebrate RatedArtisan for identifying a challenge and exploring the opportunities presented by the challenge to create wealth for Nigerians.

“Today we are here to celebrate RatedArtisan for identifying a challenge and exploring the opportunities presented by the challenge to create wealth for Nigerians,’’ he said.

The Managing Director of RatedArtisan Services, Inya-Agha Gabriel, on his part said the digital platform would provide errand services and real-time business to clients.

He added that the platform would connect trusted artisans to clients across Nigeria.

“It is often said that it is where there are challenges that you have opportunities, and it is where there are opportunities that wealth is created.

“The AI-driven mobile applications providing innovative solutions include RatedArtisan, RatedAcademy, Banga and Ecoforce, and they are structured for businesses to meet the growing demands in today’s digitally-advanced business environment,’’ Gabriel said.

It is accessible from web browsers for businesses to meet the demands of the rapidly advanced business environment.

Also, it offers four e-commerce services, namely RatedArtisan, RatedAcademy, Banga and Ecoforce.