FG to reintroduce toll gates

The Nigerian Minister of Communications Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami FNCS, FBCS FIIM, will be leading major Nigerian businesses and economic players to attend this year’s Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX 2019) in Dubai, United Arab Emirate from October 6-10, 2019. According to a statement made available to our correspondent by Head of Corporate Affairs and External Relations at NITDA, Mrs. Hadiza Umar, mnipr, m.apra, mcipr, in Abuja on Friday, the country’s delegation will be joining over 200, 000 trade visitors from over 145 countries of the world to share trends in technology and look into the future of the ICT industry. The Minister will offer insights on how investors can get maximum ‘Return on Investments’ (RoIs) from the ICT sector of the economy. Pantami will be demonstrating why Nigeria is the bride of the moment and a place to be for investment due to the present administration’s ability to turn the country’s challenges to opportunities; and how the ease of doing business policy of the government has transformed the economic climate of the country especially in the ICT sector. The sessions will offer firsthand investment information on the increasing opportunities in the industry vertical areas of Education, Cybersecurity, eGovernment, Startups, Retails, Energy, Healthcare, Fintech, and Agrotech industries. It is no longer news that Nigeria has the largest ICT market in the continent of Africa as she maintains her lead as the Africa’s largest economy. The most populous black nation in the world will be showcasing her ICT investment potentials at the Nigerian Country Pavilion and the Nigerian Startup Pavilion. The five days GITEX 2019 Technology week will feature several hours of conferences, forums, tech talks and meetings with the main theme: “Synergizing the Mind and Technology Economy” covering sectors like Future Mobility, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Smart Cities, 5G, Gitex and Lifestyle Tech among others. Discussant will x-ray why venture capitalists and angel investors should be looking at Africa’s largest economy for startup funding. In a related development, the Director General/CEO, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi CCIE will be co-hosting the GITEX ‘Africa Investment Forum (AIF) on October 9, 2019 inside the Dubai World Trade Centre. The AIF will feature speakers and audience from across the continent sharing Africa’s inspiring growth curves and challenges as the continent grapples with diverse development issues. Nigeria remains the top funding hub for tech startups in Africa with an investment of about $334.5million as at January 2019 according to a report by AppsAfrica. Meanwhile, the AIF will be offering an interactive and pitch session for Nigeria startups with focused discussion on what to know about Nigeria’s tech startup ecosystem. Nigeria, by the size of her equity investment, drew more venture capital in 2018 and has sustained that trend in 2019 than its Southern and Eastern African counterparts. The AIF will also be hosting a session on Accelerating Sustainable Chinese Investment in Africa’s Infrastructure Lessons from the Belt and Road Initiative, where the different perspectives on the impact of trade and investment from Chinese stakeholders; from funding major infrastructure alongside strategic entry by technology companies like Tencent, Alibaba, Baidu are helping the advancement of industries in Africa. There will also be a CEO Connect Hosted by Gulf Africa where discussions will give real world perspective to help prepare startups to take on and succeed in doing business in Africa. Notable CEOs featuring includes; William Skidmore, Editor, Gulf Africa Review, Lare Ayoola, CEO TRANTER IT, Evelyn Lewis, CEO SBTS Group among others. The highlights for Nigeria on the AIF will be the two important sessions on: ‘Nigeria Focus: Presentations &amp; Panel Discussions Hosted by NITDA, Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria &amp; High Investment Potential in Nigeria’s ICT sector to be delivered by the Honourable Minister of Communications, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami FNCS, FBCS, FIIM; and ‘Special Remarks by NITDA, on “NITDA as an Enabler of Technology Investment in Nigeria” by Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi CCIE. Discussants like Professor Suleiman Elias Bogoro, Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND); Jelani Aliyu, Director General, Nigeria Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC); Ms Abimbola Alele, Managing Director/CEO, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT); Agu Collins Agu, Ph.D. Director of Corporate Planning &amp; Strategy, NITDA, and Dr. Evans Woherem, Chairman Digital Africa Group will feature on Investors Panel: Leveraging the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria – Africa’s Largest Economy.<