The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Pantami, has said that the increasing contribution of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP) was a result of the growing digital economy in the country.
Reacting to the Q2 2022 data released on Friday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBC), which shows that ICT contributed 18.44% to the GDP in the quarter, Pantami said the diligent implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria, stakeholder engagement and, creation of an enabling environment have all played an important role in this achievement.
While noting that Q2 2022 figure was the highest contribution of ICT to the GDP, Pantami described it as unprecedented and marks the third time that the sector has achieved an unprecedented contribution to Nigeria’s GDP during his tenure as the supervising minister of the sector.
What the minister is saying
- Pantami in a statement signed by his Technical Assistant, Research and Development, Dr. Femi Adeluyi, said: “The growing contribution of the ICT sector to the GDP is as a result of the commitment of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR to the development of the digital economy. The diligent implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria, stakeholder engagement and the creation of an enabling environment have all played an important role in this achievement.
- “The support of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has contributed immensely to the impressive developments in the sector. The unprecedented contribution of ICT to Nigeria’s GDP can also be attributed to the dynamic and results-oriented leadership of the sector. The GDP Report has shown how critical the ICT sector is to the growth of our country’s digital economy and, by extension, the general economy.”
The Minister congratulated all stakeholders in the digital economy ecosystem for this cheering news. He also renewed his call to all sectors to take advantage of the Federal Government’s new focus on the digital economy to enable and improve their processes through the use of ICTs. This, he said, would enhance the output of all the sectors of the economy and boost Nigeria’s GDP.