Participants at a stakeholders’ engagement have said massive infrastructure development and sensitisation are key if Nigeria must successfully transit to a digital economy.
They made this known at the end of a stakeholders meeting on the proposed national digital economy and e-govrrnance bill, 2024, organised by the Federal Ministry of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy in conjunction with the state Ministry of Information and Communication, in Lokoja, Kogi State on Wednesday.
A Legal Consultant on the proposed E-Governance Bill, Chukwudi Chimezie described the move as a welcome development as it will go a long way in boosting Nigeria’s socioeconomic activities, good governance and quick service delivery in both public and private sectors.
In his summary presentation of the law, he said that the essence of the workshop is to get citizens’ input on the bill. He noted that the stakeholders’ engagement will also afford citizens the opportunity of getting feedback on the way forward to make the bill implementable.
According to the legal consultant, “The bill requires five years implementation stages and also targeted at providing a reliable digital framework for Nigeria’s database information”
“The bill will enhance public record keeping and information management as it will afford citizens the opportunity to access any data digitally world over
“Digital computer age will also provide room for protection of consumers as they will be highly armed with detailed information on what they are consuming or buying” the legal consultant noted.
In their contributions, stakeholders called on both government and private organisations as well as the media to embark on massive sensitization and engagement of citizens on the gains of the bill down to the grassroots across the country.
Stakeholders further enumerated some of the challenges of the Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill to include illiteracy, capital intensity, weak infrastructure, and network problems
Earlier in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary in the Kogi State Ministry of Information and Communications, Mr. Ebenezer Adurodija called on the people of the state to embrace the digital age as it will go a long way in uplifting their living standard.
