New National Council on Technology Underway- VP Osibanjo
…Says FG will partner, support growth of tech hubs
By Olabisi Olaleye
Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo disclosed in Lagos that a new national technology council is underway.
He disclosed this during his visit to Co -Creation Hub, Yaba, shortly after other visits to Paystack, Andela, Flutterwave, Workstation, FarmCrowdy and African Fintech Foundry.
“One of the things that we are trying to do is to set up a council of sorts. Already, we have an industrial and competitiveness council. We want to look at doing one for technology and for innovation as well so that we bring in some of the key players and thinkers around technology working with government and government officials to develop policy and various ways we can help them to do what they are doing better”.
The Vice President further stated that Nigeria has incredible talents in technology and innovation. While urging the youths to find innovative, creative ways to solve country’s challenges.
Said he: “There is so much going on, many young people, and so many creative ideas. It’s just incredible. And that tells you what the future is going to look like. Already, as we always say, the future is here. I have seen for myself the sheer creativity. Practically every type of enterprise has been disrupted by the technologies that we see. And a lot of the payment systems that we have been seeing, a lot of the technology companies that we see are doing incredible things.
“A lot of the technologies and innovators we’ve seen got the attention and to where they are by being innovative and being creative. So, the only way to keep ahead of the curve, the way to keep ahead of anyone else is by increasingly innovative and by finding newer ways of doing things better. My advice is that the only way to keep ahead is by ensuring that you are ahead in terms of innovations and technology.”
He explained that the the future is in Nigeria, saying, ” I have seen for myself the sheer creativity. Practically every type of enterprise has been disrupted by the technologies that we see. And a lot of the payment systems that we have been seeing, a lot of the technology companies that we see are doing incredible things”.
On the ways to collaborate, he revealed that as Chairman of the duo of Economic Management Team and the National Economic Council that technology is obviously the future; “The future of our economy, the future of commerce and the future of industry. We recognize this in the economic recovery and growth plan and that’s one the reasons I am here in the company of the Honourable Minister of Science and Technology, the DG of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and, of course, the Lagos State Commissioner for Science and Technology, and Commerce. We recognize that this is the way commerce is going to develop and that is why we are taking, first of all, such an active interest in their personal engagement.
“We are also trying to see how we can collaborate, how we can partner with all of these enterprises and, in some cases, with membership organizations they have in order to be able to create the kind of environment that makes it possible for this to happen seamlessly and in a way that we actually can have a multiplication or replication of all we are seeing today.
“So, we are collaborating already with a number of hubs and also with some that we are starting. For example, we are doing some work in partnership with Civic Hub in Abuja. We are doing some with the Humanitarian Hub in the North East, where we are focusing on the humanitarian challenges in the North East of Nigeria, and creating technology and innovation that could be helpful in solving some of their problems. We also have a Climate Change Hub in collaboration with the Lagos Business School. And, of course, we intend to collaborate and partner with Co-Creation Hub and several other hubs, ‘ he said.