The immediate past Governor of Kaduna, Malam Nasir El Rufai, has said it is time for the Northern region of Nigeria to fully embrace digital technology and innovation by advancing its usage in all endeavours.
The former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister made this remark at Ceedi Plaza Cinema, Abuja, during the presentation of the Fasahar Zamani Digital Technology Movie Premiere.
Produced by Blue Sapphire Hub and funded by the United Kingdom Development International, the movie is a series of 12 episodes produced in Hausa but subtitled in English to bridge the digital gap in northern Nigeria.
Saturday Telegraph reports that the event plays host to a cross-section of dignitaries in the North.
Speaking at the event, El-Rufai expressed reservations over the slow pace of adoption of digital technologies in the north, insisting that the region remains backward when it comes to the use and deployment of digital technology.
He urged northern Governors to consider it a duty to invest in digital technology, train digital entrepreneurs and support them with seed funding to ensure the sustainability of their businesses.
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El Rufai said: “Northern Nigeria is yet to come to terms with the reality of the tech age, and we need to have a soft way of introducing this and making it attractive and exciting for our young people.
“This production of 12 episodes of this messaging will go a long way in attracting the attention of our young people, as well as their parents, to the importance of adopting technology, digital technology in particular, as we move into the age of AI.
“The way forward now is for the state governments in northern Nigeria to take this messaging to the next level. On our own part, I have been partnering with state governments to host Arewa TechFest.
“And I will call on all the northern states’ governors to use this opportunity to take it a step further by identifying digital and tech entrepreneurs in their states and supporting them with seed money so that they can develop their ideas, create jobs, and put Nigeria on the technology map.”
El-Rufai also said digital technology can be used for Nigeria’s future elections, saying that he deployed it in Kaduna for local government elections. He said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could leverage digital technology for the 2027 elections.
Speaking at the film presentation, the Country Lead and Programme Advisor for the U.K. Government’s Global Digital Access Programme, Idongesit Udoh, noted that the project was among others being supported by his organisation to bridge the digital gap.
“This is a project that the U.K. government has supported to bring on board people who are excluded from the growing digital economy in Nigeria.
“As you may know, Nigeria’s digital economy is blossoming. It’s the fastest-growing sector of the country’s economy and contributes hugely to the GDP.
“But also, there is the fact that there are people who are not included in this sector. So the advanced digital adoption in Nigeria was a piece of project specifically designed to bring on board women, people with disabilities, and people from communities that are completely unserved or underserved, “Udoh said.
