Nigeria’ll Soon Take Over Digital Space – Osinbajo

• Nigeria’ll Soon Take Over Digital Space – Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday said that with the recent involvement of the government in the promotion of technology, the country would soon take over the digital space the way it did in the music, film and entertainment industry.

Osinbajo, who said this in Abuja during the presentation of N756.3m grant to 81 young Nigerian innovators as part of the Federal Government’s economic empowerment initiatives, noted that this could be achieved with hard work, innovation and resourcefulness of the people.

The grant is made possible through the Growth and Employment Project financed by the World Bank.

The young innovators were selected following a rigorous technological innovation competition organised by the Presidency called ‘Aso Villa Demo Day’, which targets young Nigerian entrepreneurs with innovative business models that can contribute to the growth of the economy.

Osinbajo said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari would be encouraging innovators to design technologies for agriculture, infrastructure, health care and other social services.

He stated that while the scope was huge, the Federal Government was confident that the capacity of the country’s innovators was limitless.

The Vice President said, “Today, you don’t need to be too clever to know that digital innovation and creativity will define the future of our work. It will not matter where in the world the innovator lives, he or she can develop an idea that within days can become world famous.

“Technology today is so disruptive that it can create its own wealth. We are here to witness the start of our direct investment in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise technology start-ups.

“We have 81 innovators who have come through a competitive process to position themselves as game changers for the Nigerian economy and indeed for the world. We are possibly some of the smartest people anywhere in the face of the earth.”

He added, “Just as we have taken the world by storm in music, entertainment and film, we will soon take over the digital space with our ideas, confidence and hard work, and our resourcefulness. The only limitation is our imagination and diligence. So today, we sign on 81 businesses that can improve the quality of businesses, lives and livelihood.

“Your role is incredibly historic and I pray you will exceed our expectations.”

He stated that the commitment of the government in boosting entrepreneurship was huge, adding that in the 2016 and 2017 budgets, funds had been provided for investments in technology hubs across the country.