The government have stated that the change they are implementing is going to expand the ministry’s mandate. They are hoping to push things past telecommunications. On paper, it looks to be much more tech-related and this could be a good thing. After all, the sector has grown, and it has even been named as being the most valuable tech ecosystem too. In the meantime, there is a lot of uncertainty as to what the focus of the policy is going to be, and a lot of moves are being met with a degree of scepticism.
Beyond the Name Change
Idris Bello is a tech entrepreneur and he is also an investor. He recommends following the path of Tunisia. This means enacting a start-up act that drills down to find out what needs to be created, how it can be stimulated and even if it has chance to grow. This needs to go beyond political statements and even election terms too. The ministry needs to focus on rethinking education too. Of course, the tech industry in Nigeria is growing and this is great news, but it’s having a worldwide impact too. Take the casino industry for example, it’s been thriving for quite some time and companies such as NetBet have been able to take advantage of this. This has led to even more online casinos opening, which spurred on the industry even more. This could be what is happening in Nigeria, and that is why the government are trying to create a plan to sustain what they have going on.
Nigeria’s Leading Tech Hub
Creation Hub are the leading tech hub in the country. They have stated that they need to try and do everything they can to prepare for talent and that they also need to monitor their growth rate too. Nigeria is going to become the third most populated country in the world by 2050 and for this reason there needs to be an active collaboration with the Ministry. The entire curriculum needs to be overhauled at various stages if they want it to be compatible with the economy as it stands, and this is something that a lot of tech leaders support. Sure, revamping the education curriculum is a necessary move for the long-term but barriers do need to be eased.
Easing Barriers
There are barriers when it comes to the digital economy in general. The single and biggest thing that can easily help to improve the tech sector in Nigeria right now would be dropping the price of internet access. This can be done by allowing more ISPs to us LTE. Mobile prices have dropped over the years and this is helping, but with the tech industry booming, it’s important that there is a strong level of underlying support in order to keep things moving forward. If something isn’t done, then it may be that the tech sector ends up collapsing and this could mean bad news for everyone.
