On Thursday, February 2nd, 2023, President Muhammadu Buhari presided over the unveiling of two new policies developed by the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. The two policies, the National Policy on the Nigerian Government Second-Level Domains and the National Data Policy (2023-2027), were created to further drive the development of the digital economy in Nigeria.
Mr. Muhammed Rudman, President of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), representing the .ng domain was present at the event. Femi Adesina, a veteran Nigerian journalist, stated that these policies are essential for the development of Nigeria’s digital economy.
The President noted that 21 new national policies and strategies have been developed since 2019, contributing to the development across all sectors of the economy. The president also cited some contributions of the digital transformation policies and strategies; this included savings of N45.7 billion in executing IT projects and preventing 66 cyber-attacks during the pandemic. He also mentioned the ICT sector’s impressive contribution of 18.44% to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Q2 2022 in comparison to the 6.33% contributed by the Oil and Gas sector.
The President also expressed his commitment to promoting digital identity and directed all government officials to use relevant government domains for official purposes. The deployment of Starlink services in Nigeria was also highlighted as a positive development, making it the first and only African country to have 100% broadband penetration.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, highlighted the importance of these policies in consolidating the gains achieved so far in the digital economy sector. He emphasized the critical role of data in national life and the need to leverage it for the development of other sectors.
In conclusion, the President expressed satisfaction with the progress made in the digital economy sector and commended the Minister for his commitment to implementing the digital economy mandate. These two policies will play a vital role in further advancing Nigeria’s digital economy.
