Nigeria would soon become a trillion-dollar economy notwithstanding the initial difficulties, the Minister of Communications, Innovations and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, said yesterday.
Tijani said Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would increase substantially within the next two years, with 21 per cent of the increment coming from the information and communications technology sector (ICT).
He assured that Nigeria would savour prosperity within the next few months.
Tijani and his Youth Affairs counterpart, Ayodele Olawande, spoke at the Public Servant Training Institute, Kubwa, Abuja, during the commencement of the training programmes for 500 Data Protection Officers (DPOs) for the National Certification for Data Protection, Nigeria and West Africa.
Tijani said the administration is investing in the ICT sector as a major driver of the national economy, with specific attention to the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital transformation of government services, connecting the citizens with digital medical services and infrastructures and promoting entrepreneurship and innovations.
He explained that the economy would soon transform to over a trillion dollars, not just by the sheer size of its population coupled with the preponderance of vibrant youths, but with policies envisioned under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
He urged the beneficiaries of the national certification training programmes to take them seriously.
Olawande said the administration is recalibrating the mandate of the Youth Ministry for far-reaching collaborations with other ministries, agencies and departments to promote inclusiveness and create opportunities.
National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), Dr Vincent Olatunji said about 3, 000 data protection officers were initially pencilled down for training, but due to financial constraints, the numbers were reduced because it takes $2,000 to train and secure certification for each officer.
He said certification is a global phenomenon that would open myriads of opportunities for the officers as there are millions of jobs waiting for them globally.
