Nigeria’s permanent delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Ms Hajo Sani is seeking partnership between the organization and the country to further drive the renewed IT-focused agenda of UNESCO.
She disclosed this when she paid a courtesy visit on the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, outlining the key possible areas as creating knowledge societies, infrastructural investments, world summit on information society, inter-governmental partnerships and programmes, the internet universality indicators, among others.
The minister’s spokesperson, Uwa Suleiman, said Sani solicited his (the minister’s) support in ensuring that strategic engagements between UNESCO and the ministry were deliberate and impactful and urged him to facilitate the active involvement of UNESCO in the Nigeria digital economy sector for the benefit of the country.
In his response, Pantami, while felicitating with her on her appointment, said the programmes and initiatives of UNESCO were in alignment with that of the sector and in line with global best practices, stressing that ICT is the key enabler of every sector of the economy globally.
“If you explore the key of digital technology properly, you will open a lot of opportunities in education, science, agriculture, health and other sectors. The digital economy is not just a stand-alone sector, but the key enabler to limitless opportunities in every sector. It is commendable that UNESCO has identified and recognised the relevance of leveraging on digital technologies for development,” he told his guest.
The minister explained that most of the policies established under the present administration to drive the digital economy had a direct impact on UNESCO’s key objectives. He outlined some of them as The National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria, The Nigerian National Broadband Plan, The National Policy on Virtual Engagements in Federal Public Institutions, The National Policy on Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) Core Skills for Nigerians, The National Policy for the Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian Telecommunications Sector, The Revised National Digital Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration, The National Digital Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Startup Policy, among others.
Pantami pledged the full support of his ministry and the parastatals under its purview to the newly forged partnership between the organisations.
