The federal government announced on Tuesday that it would invest N12 billion to fund digital economy research projects, ensuring the country benefits from the dividends of digital transformation.

Bosun Tijani, minister of communications and digital economy, said this at the opening ceremony of the 18th edition of the International Conference on Theory and Practices of Electronic Governance in Abuja.

Mr Tijani said that platforms like ICEGOV had created an opportunity for countries to research the capabilities of emerging technologies and balance them with policies as they affect societies.

He said Nigeria’s participation in ICEGOV of 2024 highlighted the need for the country to research the digital economy, adding that the records won the country the confidence of partners to host the 2025 edition.

“The Nigerian government is not just doing this as a show because immediately after ICEGOV last year, we funded over 55 research projects.

“At the moment, we are putting together about N12 billion to fund further research projects that are focused on the digital economy. We are setting up three research clusters of six universities, each one focused on artificial intelligence, and another focused on the biggest issue in our nation today, which is connectivity, where we are investing significantly.

“Thirdly, because of our population, we are also funding another research cluster that is focused on digital skills and literacy,’’ Mr Tijani said.

The minister also stated that digital technologies have become the core of human activities, noting that without them, societies would remain underdeveloped.

According to him, it is essential that these technologies are no longer viewed solely as economic tools, but as instruments to reshape and govern society as well.

Elsa Estevez, chair of the ICEGOV Steering Committee, while reflecting on the conference theme, noted that AI and its associated risks necessitate cooperation among countries, entities, and governments at all levels.

She said that securing the public digital space requires regulation, education, and awareness, all based on sound information ethics.

Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of NITDA, stated that the government had plans to integrate digital literacy skills into the school curricula by 2026.

Mr Inuwa said the government needed to do that to ensure the country’s youthful population’s technology growth rate aligned with government initiatives.

Mr Inuwa also stated that the government was implementing measures to ensure that public servants became digitally literate, thereby enabling better service delivery in the public sector.

(NAN)