The Federal Government has tasked the newly inaugurated Digital Economy Industry Working Group (DEIWG) with the responsibility of mapping out government initiatives and policies that are affecting the private sector pertaining to the Digital Economy.
The Group made up of joint personnel from the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has been saddled with objectives that include establishing a Public-Private Partnership Platform as a communication link between the public and private sectors to drive Digital Economy Policies and Strategies; creating a framework for strengthening the immediate delivery of initiatives based on the 8 pillars as outlined in the Nigerian Digital Economic Policy and Strategy (2020-2030); facilitating the creation of an Enterprise Programs Management Office (EPMO) and funding mechanism which will serve as a framework of funding for DEIWG Secretariat and formulating, in partnership with the government, mechanisms that drive and catalyse growth and increase investments in the Digital Economy.
Inaugurating the Group, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, had enjoined the Group to focus and tackle its objectives.
Other objectives of the group are to examine the current efforts by the Federal Government to digitally transform through policies, projects and programmes and co-create a private sector response plan; to facilitate a leadership mindset that is digital-driven for shared prosperity and shared national vision and drive continuity of the policies to enhance the institutional arrangement that drives the Digital Economy and to call to action on the private sector to take the lead of the creation of the Nigeria Digital Economy Policy and Strategy.
Highlighting the composition of the group, the Minister noted that it comprises of government representatives, the private sector and the academia adding that it is a model the ministry has adopted in the last three years. “We don’t formulate policies alone, we ensure that we bring together all stakeholders to work with us as part of the implementation model, we try to interact with other people from a different sector, this is what we are promoting.”
Meanwhile, the minister has disclosed that he has directed the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to come up with the National Cyber Security Research Centre in Nigeria.
Prof. Pantami noted the centre when completed would actively support Nigerian participation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“We are working on every important component of the Fourth Industrial Revolution because we don’t want to be left behind. As of today, at least five African countries are part of the chase group that is chasing the developed countries and we have been displaying this in so many international events,” he added.
