The Deputy Speaker, of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, says there is a need for government and players in the technology ecosystem to bridge the gap in the sector.
Kalu, who made the call at the Abuja Tech Converge 2.0, organised by ThriveAgric, an agricultural technology company, said such gap engendered exclusion of rural communities.
The conference had the theme “Tech Next Africa: Innovation for a Sustainable Future.”
Represented by a consultant under his office, Dr Sukky Odabi Kalu said that barely 51 per cent of the Nigerian population had access to the internet, with rural people being digitally excluded.
He said that Nigeria must endeavour to bridge the digital divide if the country should achieve the African Union Agenda of 2063.
He said there had been local and international interventions to address digital gap like the enactment of the Nigeria Startup Act and the deployment of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as a critical strategy for ensuring access to essential services.
“With DPI, citizens in Nigeria and beyond can overcome barriers to banking, healthcare and education, creating a more equitable digital landscape.
“By bridging the digital divide, we can create a future where every Nigerian and every African has access to opportunities for education, healthcare, entrepreneurship, and socio-economic mobility.
“I challenge innovators to design solutions that address the unique challenges of our context and our policy makers; partners need to deepen commitment to inclusive policies and investments.
“As we strive to meet our Family Planning (FP) 2030 goals, expand digital literacy programmes and realise the 300 billion dollar annual GDP potential of a fully digitised Africa, I am confident that we can overcome the digital divide and unlock the immense promise of our continent.”
Kalu said it was imperative to support robust regulatory environments that encouraged investments in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain and fintech.
“This will not only bridge the divide but also position Nigeria as a leader in the global digital economy,” he said.
He pledged that he would remain committed to advancing legislation that fostered digital inclusion, strengthened innovation ecosystems, and safeguarded digital rights.
Mr Uka Eje, Chief Executive Officer, ThriveAgric, said that many tech talents lacked the knowledge to build the needed technology solutions in the country.
Eje also said there was a huge gap in digital transformation among rural communities, adding that the government needed to support private entities in reaching more young people to harness local tech talents.
“I think that the government can give more push in creating awareness, provide the avenue for expression about partnering with like Ministry of Education to be able to get access to a lot more people.
“There could also be the space for funding programmes like this because every single thing you see here is private; but if we desire to have more outcomes; we can scale this from like one million people to 10 million,” Eje said.
Eje said that the Abuja Tech Converge was a culminating event, which started with a Tech Talent Acceleration Programme, whereby the talents undergo intensive training for six to nine months.
The training, he said comprised of basic skills in technology, building nuance technology systems, enabling the talents to scale up their career as well as helping to deploy them to areas where they could get employment.
He said that they were only able to train no fewer than five per cent of 10, 000 people who applied in their first edition, adding that they got significant stakeholder participation for the 2.0.
The Country Director, of Heifer International, a company working on eradicating poverty and hunger, Dr Lekan Tobe said it would be appropriate for stakeholders to invest in rural broadband connectivity.
Tobe said that inclusive connectivity would enhance access to information, boost innovation, enable farmers to gain support services that would address food insecurity and as well impact on transforming rural economic situations.
A panel discussion was also held at the conference, urging innovators to use their innovations to address local issues; acquire the skills and knowledge needed as startups.
NAN
