In 18 Years, ICT Contributes 10% To GDP –Minister

The contribution of Nigeria’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector to the country’s GDP grew from about 0.6 per cent in 2001 to more than 10 per cent in 2019, Communications Minister, Dr Adebayo Shittu, has said.

Shittu stated this in Awka, Anambra State on Monday while declaring open a workshop on National ICT Roadmap for the Southeast Zone, with the theme: `The Role of the Private Sector in the Implementation of the Nigeria ICT Road Map’.

The minister said that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) attracted by the sector to the national economy grew in excess of $42 million during the same period.

According to him, in spite of the positives, the potential of the sector is yet to be maximised in view of its pivotal role in the optimal development of the various sectors of the country’s economy.

He said that the Nigeria ICT Road Map 2017-2020 inaugurated in 2018, was the strategic process which the Federal Government had developed for the purpose of achieving ICT penetration in the country.

He noted that the private sector was crucial to the success of the road map, pledging President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government’s determination to encourage the private sector to play key roles in implementing the road map.

 “As you are aware, the ICT revolution that commenced in Nigeria more than a decade ago again has impacted positively on our national economy.

“This is very evident in its contributions to the gross domestic product from 0.6 per cent in 2001 to over 10 per cent in 2019. FDI (foreign direct investment) made from telecommunications operators, service providers, and other stakeholders stands in excess of $42 million,” he said. Shittu said that his ministry would ensure the development of an ICT sector in the country with cutting-edge technology.

He said that the event was important as it provided stakeholders the opportunity to share collective vision regarding the developmental trajectory of the ICT sector in the medium term.

Source: The Sun