The National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, on Thursday in Lagos, urged Nigerians to leverage on internet technology to improve on ease of doing business.
The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Abdullah, made the appeal at the opening of “Internet Summit 2019” with the theme “The Internet as an Alternative Source of Income”, organised by the Nigeria Internet Group, NIG, an NGO.
Mr Adullahi, who was represented by Dr Falilat Jimoh, a System Analyst at NITDA, said that the internet had become one of the most significant technologies with tremendous impact on social and industrial environments.
He said that it was necessary to key into internet technology in the transport, health, security and manufacturing spaces to promote businesses and also generate more revenue.
The director-general said that internet and associated applications had taken people beyond connection to become part of their daily living by creating a global nervous system.
“The world we occupy is a rapid, game-changing and innovative technological space, where the introduction of new technology is continuously transforming stakeholders’ expectations.
“The world population is expected to grow up to 7.6 billion by 2020, with the growth in internet connection devices estimated to be around 50 billion, according to the Internet Business Solutions Group.
“African environment is gradually feeling the wave of this technology which is facilitated by the widespread use of smart phones, cheap bandwidth and availability of big data analytics,” he said.
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Mr Abdullah said that the internet had completely changed the understanding of gathering information and usage of data.
He said that infrastructure such as internet should no longer be seen as a luxury but a necessity for developing a smart digital economy.
“We live in an exciting era where technological progress moves at the speed of imagination.
“Technology has become a powerful catalyst for change, bringing people closer, making our society more efficient and promoting a more sustainable world.
“We are emerging into a future where the digital and physical worlds will become more integrated; where boundaries no longer exist between technologies and humans,” Abdullah said.
He said that the spread of information and communication technology and global interconnectedness had great potential to accelerate human progress and bridge the digital divide.
Also speaking, Adeniyi Osuntogun, the acting Chairman, NIG Board of Trustees, said that internet played significant role in the development of businesses.
According to hi, it has contributed to the rapid growth of e-commerce, employment generation and increase in GDP in Nigeria.
Mr Osuntogun said that the critical role of the internet in global business development gave rise to the emergence of the NIG.
NAN
