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ITU APPOINTS PANTAMI TO CHAIR WORLD SUMMIT ON INFORMATION SOCIETY (WSIS) FORUM 2022

Written by Super User May 09, 2022

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has appointed the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), as the Chairman of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2022. The event will take place at ITU Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

The appointment was conveyed to the Honourable Minister through a letter from the Secretary-General of the ITU, who noted that Professor Pantami was appointed "in light of his overall commitment to Information and Knowledge Societies and the active role he has played in the WSIS Process" and it followed consultations with various stakeholders. The Forum is to be attended by several high level stakeholders, including Cabinet Ministers from ITU countries.

The WSIS Forum 2022 serves as a key forum for discussing the role of ICTs as a means of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and targets, with due regard to the global mechanism for follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UNGA Resolution A/70/1). The WSIS Forum also provides a platform to track the achievements of WSIS Action Lines in collaboration with the UN Agencies involved and provides information and analysis of the implementation of WSIS Action Lines since 2005.

The WSIS Forum, is co-organized by ITU, UNESCO, UNDP and UNCTAD with the engagement of 24 other United Nations Agencies, including FAO, ILO, ITC, UNDESA, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNHCR, UNODC, UNEP, UPU, UN Tech Bank, WMO, WIPO, WHO, WFP, UN Women and UN Regional Commissions. In a follow up to the UN General Assembly outcomes in 2015 on the Overall Review of the implementation of the WSIS Outcomes that called for a close alignment between the WSIS Process and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the overall theme for this year is ”ICTs for Well-Being, Inclusion and Resilience: WSIS Cooperation for Accelerating Progress on the SDGs”. The Forum aims at enhancing cooperation, partnership, innovation, exchange of experiences and good practices in ICTs for sustainable development.

The appointment of Professor Pantami has given Nigeria, and indeed the African continent, the unique role of coordinating the activities of the WSIS in its 20th year, following the WSIS Phase I meeting that took place in 2003. It is apparent that the world has taken notice of the giant strides of Nigeria’s digital economy under the supervision of the Honourable Minister. Prof Pantami extends his immense gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for the constant support he has given the sector.

Dr Femi Adeluyi
Technical Assistant (Research & Development) to the
Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy
9^th of May, 2022

GOOGLE WEST AFRICA VISITS PANTAMI, TRAINS 6 MILLION NIGERIANS TOWARDS A DIGITAL NIGERIA

Written by Super User April 07, 2022

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The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), welcomed the team from Google West Africa at his office on Thursday, 7th of April, 2022. The team was led by the Director of Google West Africa, Mrs. Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor. The team visited the Honourable Minister to give him an update on the activities of Google in Nigeria and affirm their commitment to supporting the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria.

The Director commended the Honourable Minister for his efforts that have promoted Nigeria’s Digital Economy and increased its impact on all sectors of the economy. Mrs Ehimuan-Chiazor also informed the Honourable Minister that Google’s Office in Lagos serves all the countries in the West African sub-region. She updated the Minister on Google’s commitment to invest $1billion in Africa over the next 5 years, from October 2021. The investment includes funding for the Equiano subsea cable.

The Equiano cable is expected to enable a five-fold increase in average Internet speeds in Nigeria and create 1.6million jobs. Equiano, whose name was inspired by a Nigerian, is being launched as it lands at different points on the continent, much like a road construction that is launched as construction progresses. According to the Director, Nigeria is a major landing point for the cable and the launch of this major milestone is expected to take place in April 2022.

The Director also informed the Minister of the Google’s support for the tech ecosystem in Nigeria through skills development programs and grants. For example, the Google Startup Accelerator program has benefited 82 startups, including some of the startups that are now the leading unicorns in Africa. About 6 million Nigerians have also benefited from other digital skills initiatives and the target is to reach 10 million Nigerians. About 30,000 citizens have participated in the Africa Developer Program and provision has been made for cash and non-cash grants of over $100 million.

Professor Pantami commended Google for their activities in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He reminded them of the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, towards improving the ease of doing business in Nigeria. The Honourable Minister also assured Google that the Federal Government will continue to promote regulations that support, rather than stifle, development and innovation.

Dr Femi Adeluyi
Technical Assistant (Research & Development) to the
Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy
7th of April, 2022

PRESIDENT, MICROSOFT CORPORATION COMMENDS PANTAMI, SEEKS FURTHER PARTNERSHIPS ON DIGITAL ECONOMY.

Written by Super User April 01, 2022

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The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), has received commendations from the president of Microsoft Corporation, Mr Brad Smith. Mr Smith who was on a working visit to the Minister’s office today, Friday, 1st April 2022 in furtherance of the existing collaborations with the sector, eulogised the leadership style of Professor Pantami which he noted has impacted significantly on the nation’s economy as well as drawn global attention to the sector in particular.

“We are here today because we are very excited about the future of Nigeria, especially concerning the role you are playing. We are excited about the opportunity for digital transformation which is the centre of your vision for the country. We are thankful to you for launching the Microsoft Development Centre in Lagos. That was a huge step for Microsoft and it reflected our belief in the future of Nigeria. Already, we have more than one hundred software developers working in Lagos and we hope to have three hundred by next year. We are committed to building our digital infrastructure here and we are committed to investing and sustaining the relationship with your Ministry”

In the area of digital skills, Mr Smith further informed the Minister that “we already have seven hundred people who are trained to be trainers and we need to get that number up to seventeen hundred so they can fan out and train the youths across the country. We are also committed to partnerships in expanding broadband connectivity across different parts of Nigeria. We are especially grateful for all your efforts in helping companies like ours, expand their presence in the country”

In his response, the Minister conveyed the Federal Government’s appreciation to Microsoft for citing the Africa Development Centre in Nigeria. “This is particularly beneficial to our young innovators. We are also appreciative of the current training of our citizens by Microsoft as this has given a commendable boost to our digital skills capacity building initiatives’”.

Professor Pantami enumerated some of the initiatives and strategies the government has put in place to ensure an enabling environment for ease of doing business in the country including; Visa on arrival and developmental regulation. “This administration has done a lot when it comes to Ease of Doing Business. Under the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), there are over thirty six major initiatives supporting Ease of Doing Business and that catapulted our nation’s ranking a lot higher in the global ranking of countries implementing the same initiatives and for the first time in our history, particularly in the ICT Sector, we initiated and implemented developmental regulation. This is regulation to facilitate fast track development whereby a regulatory instrument can be amended within twenty four hours if it is found to constitute an obstacle to investment, or contradicts Ease of Doing Business”

Professor Pantami assured the President and his delegation of government’s unwavering support for investors in the sector and the country at large. The meeting was attended by the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, Crole Ann Browne, Chief of Staff to the Microsoft President, Teresa Hutson VP Tech and Corporate Responsibility, Daniel Brown, External and Legal Affairs Lead Middle East and Africa, John Edokpolo External and Legal Affairs Lead for MEA Emerging Markets, Ola Williams, Country Manager for Nigeria and Ghana and Nonye Ujan Government Affairs Lead for the MEA Emerging Markets.

Uwa Suleiman

Spokesperson to the Honourable Minister

Communications and Digital Economy

1st April 2022

NIGERIA’s PANTAMI ADVOCATES FOR A SECURE AFRICA CYBERSPACE AT GISEC 2022

Written by Super User March 24, 2022

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Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami has called on African governments to ensure the safety and security of the continent’s cyberspace through actionable policies, strategies and initiatives that support and drive cybersecurity.

Professor Pantami made the call today, 23rd March 2022 while delivering the opening address at the Global Africa Forum of the Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference (GISEC), holding at the World Trade Centre Dubai. In his detailed presentation, the Minister who quoted copiously from his book; CYBERSECURITY INITIATIVES FOR SECURING A COUNTRY, emphasised the need for a deliberate and inclusive plan centred around developing a National Digital Economy Policy to serve as the overarching policy for issues relating to cybersecurity, conducting a baseline study to identify the main cyber threats and the key elements of the cybersecurity ecosystem and developing a National cybersecurity policy or law. He also talked about enhancing and protecting critical ICT national infrastructure, capacity building, establishing a national cybersecurity centre to include a shield to scan and provide a safety score for government and critical websites, and the enhancement of data protection and privacy, among others.

The Minister who further harped on the importance of digital identity as an enabler for cybersecurity as acknowledged globally said “the international community through the agreement of target 16.9 of the Sustainable Development Goals, calls for all UN member states to provide legal identity for all including birth registration by the year 2030. This is in recognition of the role of digital identity systems in supporting multiple development goals”.

The Minister, who oversees the largest digital economy in Africa, illustrated the strategies to a secure continental cyberspace using Nigeria as an example as most of the strategies outlined have already been adopted or are in full effect in the country. As a Professor of cybersecurity with the Federal University of Technology Owerri, (FUTO), the Minister also discussed the importance of the government-industry-academia triple helix model for promoting cybersecurity in Africa.

In attendance were Osai Bonsu Dickson, Chief Legal Adviser, Ministry of National Security Ghana, Ishaaq Jacobs Chief Cybersecurity Officer, South Africa, Kashif Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General of Nigeria’s Information Technology and Development Agency, Engr Abdulaziz Aliyu, Director General of the nation’s Identity Management Commission and cybersecurity experts from Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Uwa Suleiman (Mrs)

Spokesperson to the Honourable Minister of

Communications and Digital Economy

23rd March 2022

FG MANDATES THE PROVISION OF QUALITY ASSURANCE CERTIFICATES, AS IT PROJECT CLEARANCE SAVES OVER N24 BILLION IN 2021

Written by Super User March 09, 2022

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The Federal Executive Council approved the Implementation of Strategies for the Enhancement of the Quality of Government Digital Technology Projects and Services during its meeting on the 9th of March, 2022. This followed the presentation of a memo by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami.

The approval will enable the implementation of strategies for the enforcement of the Information Technology (IT) Project Clearance by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in accordance with the NITDA Act (2007), and under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.

The implementation of the IT Project Clearance process is in alignment with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria, as well as the Nigeria Government Interoperability Framework and Nigeria Government Enterprise Architecture, among others. Furthermore, it provides many benefits for the country, including the following:

IT projects are not unduly duplicated;

the technology being implemented is up to date;

ensuring that there is an indigenous capacity for after-sales-service to sustain the project beyond its initial deployment;

supporting the integration of IT systems and services by Federal Public Institutions to save cost, reduce corruption, promote shared services, enable interoperability and improve efficiency;

ensuring that the technology and services procured are suitable for the country from the point of view of security and the environment, among others; and

the projects promote indigenous content, with preference being given to indigenous companies where capacity, product or service exists.

The implementation of the IT Projects Clearance process has already recorded tremendous success. For example, in 2021, there was unprecedented total of 280 new applications for clearance, of which 258 projects were successfully cleared and a total savings of ₦24,403,266,842.86, estimated at 343.2% increase in savings compared to 2020. Furthermore, there was also a significant increase in the use of the IT Clearance Portal in the year 2021- a total of 248 new users from 52 Federal Public Institutions (FPIs) were registered on the portal.

The approval of Council will further enhance the benefits of the IT Clearance process. Council's approval also mandates FPIs to obtain a Quality Assurance certificate from the NITDA Regulatory Instruments Enforcement Team for any project that is up to N1,000,000,000 (one billion naira).

As part of the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), the Ministry will continue to position Nigeria to take advantage of emerging technologies in order to transform Nigeria into a sustainable and secure digital economy.

Dr Femi Adeluyi

Technical Assistant (Research & Development) to the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy

9th March, 2022

NIGERIA’s AUTOMATIVE COUNCIL SEEKS PARTNERSHIP WITH DIGITAL ECONOMY SECTOR

Written by Super User March 07, 2022

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The Director General National Automative Design and Development Council (NADDC), Jelani Aliyu MFR, has called on the digital economy sector for support and partnership in its efforts to develop and sustain the automotive industry in Nigeria. He made the call during a working visit to the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami today, Monday7th March 2022.

Jelani Aliyu in his detailed presentation to the Minister, disclosed that the automative industry with the right support was capable of producing four hundred thousand vehicles annually. He commended the federal government’s efforts in restoring the industry to its lost glory and boosting indigenous production through the institution of the National Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP). “The NAIDP has five elements which include; Investment promotion, infrastructural development, improvement of standards, skills development and market development. We believe that building a partnership with the digital economy sector based on these initiatives will engender the need support for the industry to thrive. The vehicles manufactured and assembled in Nigeria are very tech-driven and it is only natural to seek your support as the driver of the digital economy in the country”. He emphasised that the resuscitation of the Nigerian automative industry will create jobs, encourage innovation and build indigenous capacity among others.

In his response, Professor Pantami while commending the Director General for exhibiting skillful leadership, conveyed his sector’s willingness to partner with the industry. He reiterated his advocacy for skills over mere paper qualifications citing Jelani Aliyu as an excellent example of the value of proven skills. “We are more than willing to collaborate with the industry and it is exciting to note that your presentation is in alignment with at least four of the the pillars of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), particularly in the area of software development and digital design. The sector has an important role to play in supporting your parastatal so that we will jointly create many more jobs for our citizens and support our economy”.

The Minister remarked that one of the major challenges facing the nation is importation and this cannot be sustained. “We must therefore heed Mr President’s call to produce what we consume and consume what we produce. We also need to create awareness among the populace to take pride in our indigenous products and patronise them”

The highlight of the visit was the presentation of various models of locally manufactured, tech-driven, battery and gas powered vehicle to the Minister.

Uwa Suleiman

Spokesperson to the Honourable Minister

of Communications and Digital Economy

7th March 2022

PANTAMI PARLEYS WITH DIGITAL INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM

Written by Super User February 23, 2022

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The Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) on Tuesday, 22nd February 2022 met with indigenous innovators in Lagos, to explore avenues of developing the Ecosystem to further drive the digital economy agenda. The interactive session organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) was themed; Fostering an Enabling Environment for Start-up Growth.

Addressing an impressive turnout of techprenuers, startups, innovators, and founders, Professor Pantami disclosed that the objective of the session is to understand first hand, what the ecosystem requires from the government in order to thrive. “The importance of a vibrant, functional innovation ecosystem cannot be underscored and that is why we have taken deliberate steps to organise this interactive session specifically, to address certain pertinent issues. Firstly, how to consolidate our ecosystem, secondly to understand the market and its challenges thirdly, to map our market and set targets, to strengthen our networking strategies and more importantly, collaborating and partnering with government. This is key to the success of our ecosystem because government has a major role to play in providing an enabling environment”. The Minister emphasised that the Federal Government is open and willing to suggestions on what it can do to further ensure the success of the ecosystem.

Speaking further, Professor Pantami challenged startups and innovators in the Nigeria ecosystem to take ownership of existing policies to further consolidate and enhance the success of the ecosystem. “If there are challenges in implementing any of the policies we have put in place for the sector to thrive, please let us know”. He cited the National Startup Bill, the National Council for Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the National Policy for the Development of Indigenous Content in the Telecommunications Sector among others, as examples of government’s commitment to enact and implement policies that enable the ecosystem.

Pantami disclosed that incentives like grants, tax and fiscal incentives, startup labelling, seed funding for startups, tax holidays have been provided for, in the plan to provide the necessary support by government. He noted that Nigeria as the largest digital economy in Africa which is in the process of deploying fifth generation networks (5G), the immense human potential and the necessary collaborations and partnerships between government and the ecosystem, the country will in no time take its pride of place as the continent’s technology giant.

The Honourable Minister thereafter, led a high powered delegation on a working visit to some of the innovation hubs including Flutterwave, Treepz and Reliance Health.

Uwa Suleiman

Spokesperson to the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy

23rd February 2022

NATIONAL FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT COUNCIL PRESENTS SPECTRUM FOR 5G DEPLOYMENT AS STAKEHOLDERS RECEIVE NATIONAL POLICY ON 5G NETWORKS

Written by Super User February 17, 2022

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The National Frequency Management Council has formally handed over the 3.5GHz spectrum allocation for the deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) Networks to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Performing the handover ceremony today Thursday, 17th February 2022 in Abuja, Chairman of the Council and Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) also made the public presentation of the National Policy on Fifth Generation Networks for Nigeria’s Digital Economy.

Addressing participants at the event, Professor Pantami recalled that the country’s journey to the actualization of 5G was fraught with challenges many of which were superstitious and unscientific. “Amidst health rumors linking 5G to the source and spread of Covid19, the Federal Government took deliberate, painstaking steps to ensure its safety through trials, expert reviews and advise from professional and relevant authorities and stakeholders because the safety of our citizens is our priority” Professor Pantami emphasized the need for Nigeria to take its pride of place in the fourth industrial revolution by exploring the tools of digital technology. He highlighted some of the benefits of 5G to include enhanced security, transparency, agricultural boost among others.

While handing over the allocated spectrum to the Chairman Governing Board of NCC, Professor Adeolu Akande and the Executive Vice Chairman Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, the Minister directed that the spectrum be distributed to the companies whose bids were successful during the auction in December of 2021. Similarly, he called on all stakeholders to ensure the implementation of the National Policy of 5G for Nigeria’s Digital Economy.

Recall that the initial trial to ascertain the risks involved in the deployment of 5G in Nigeria was conducted in November of 2019 while the policy was launched on the 25th of January 2022 by President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR).

Uwa Suleiman
Spokesperson to the Honourable Minister of Communications & Digital Economy
17th February 2022

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT APPROVES NATIONAL POLICY ON THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT SECOND-LEVEL DOMAINS

Written by Super User February 16, 2022

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The Federal Executive Council approved the National Policy on the Nigerian Government Second-Level Domains during its meeting on the 16^th of February, 2022. This followed the presentation of a memo by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami.

The Policy was developed to strengthen public confidence in the use of digital technologies and participation in the digital economy. The Policy is also in line with the implementation of the Nigerian e-Government Master Plan, approved by the Federal Executive Council in August 2018. The Master Plan has a vision to create a world class open and digitalized government that connects with people to drive efficiency in public administration, responsiveness of civil services and transparency in governance leading to improvement of the quality of life of Nigerians.

The increasing rate of cyber-related incidences has inspired countries to develop Policy instruments to effectively regulate and manage their use of Information and Communication Technologies in Government Institutions, specifically electronic correspondences within the government. Several countries have put policies in place to ensure that official correspondences are only conducted using approved domains and platforms in Government Institutions.

The use of generic domains and private emails for Government businesses and correspondences impedes the identity, security and global recognition of the Nigerian Government on the Internet. Furthermore, the use of private emails for Government business is a major limitation to the capabilities to archive and back-up sensitive Government data thereby making it difficult to preserve historical correspondences and documents hosted on non-Government servers. Similarly, Government documents that should be deleted or destroyed after a period of retention are permanently hosted on unsecure servers.

The Policy will be implemented by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. It seeks to promote transparency in governance; protecting the Nigerian cyberspace; and promotion of the Digital Nigeria agenda. It also seeks to accelerate the adoption of the second level domain (.gov.ng, .edu.ng, .mil.ng) under the country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD.ng) with the main objective to eliminate the use of top-level domains for Government business and the use of private emails for official correspondences by the end of year 2022

The Policy gives direction for the enforcement of the mandatory use of the Nigerian Government second-level domains by all Federal Public Institutions, and recommends its adoption by States and Local Governments. The scope covers the Nigerian Government second-level domain and email services on .gov.ng, .mil.ng, .edu.ng, .sch.ng, and any other Nigerian Government owned second-level domains that could be approved in the future.

As part of the implementation of this Policy, Federal Public Institutions are to obtain a Nigerian Government Second-level Domain from NITDA and migrate to that platform with immediate effect. As part of the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), the Ministry will continue to position Nigeria to leverage technology in order to transform Nigeria into a sustainable and secure digital economy.

Dr Femi Adeluyi
Technical Assistant (Research & Development) to the
Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy
16^th February, 2022

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMMISSIONS IT INNOVATION CENTRE IN KATSINA STATE

Written by Super User February 15, 2022

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Pursuant to its digital skills empowerment drive, the Federal Government of Nigeria, today Tuesday 15th February 2022 commissioned the Muhammadu Buhari IT Innovation Centre in katsina state, Northwest Nigeria.

Commissioning the fully completed project on behalf of the President, the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) noted that the centre was established to empower the youths with the requisite digital skills, drive innovation and challenge creativity as part of the economic digitalisation agenda of the Federal Government. “There is a paradigm shift globally with emphasis on proven skills over certificates, there is also the need to diversify away from natural resources like oil and gas and Nigeria is no exception in the quest for digital capacities in the fourth industrial revolution. It is because of this we feel the necessity to establish innovation centres in at least every geopolitical zone in the country, identify existing talent, support and provide the enabling environment and mentorship so that in the next few decades, Nigeria can boast of its own Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos.

Speaking further, Professor Pantami noted that the leading economies in the world today are innovation - driven and with the commitment of the present administration to digitalise the Nigerian economy, the inherent potential Nigeria is abundantly blessed with, it is achievable.

Present at the commissioning were the Katsina State governor His Excellency, Rt Honourable Aminu Bello Masari, members of the State’s Executive Council, The Director General of NITDA, Mallam Kashif Inuwa Abdullahi, Chairman Nigeria Communications Commission Governing Board, Professor Adeolu Akande and a host of top public and private sector officials.

Earlier, the Honourable Minister was at the Katsina State Talent Hunt Award Ceremony where prizes were awarded to deserving young innovators in various fields ranging from ICT to creativity in arts and entertainment.

Uwa Suleiman (Mrs)

Spokesperson to the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy

15th February 2022