Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, has called on Nigerians and organisations to give priority to indigenous digital solutions to enhance growth and development.
He made the call while on courtesy visit to Galaxy Backbone Ltd. (GBB) in Abuja.
He advocated the need for patronizing locally developed software, hardware and other digital infrastructure.
He called on Nigerians to support the Federal Government’s “Buy Nigeria, Make Nigeria” initiative.
According to him, greater patronage of indigenous technology would contribute to data sovereignty and strengthen Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global digital economy, noting that, some Nigerian organisations patronising locally made technology have found it to be more affordable and quality.
He said the digital economy remained a priority area of government’s economic growth agenda, requiring deliberate investment in infrastructure, innovation and local technology.
He said, “The GBB of the government’s support to strengthen digital infrastructure. Many organisations, particularly in the private sector, still rely heavily on foreign suppliers, despite the availability of capable Nigerian technology providers.
“Digital infrastructure is critical. As a country, we must be intentional in making that investment,” he said.
Oyedele described the work of GBB as a national duty and assured the organisation of the support if the ministry of finance to make its operations more impactful and sustainable.
Earlier, the Managing Director of GBB, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, said sustained investment was needed to expand GBB’s fibre network, data centres and cybersecurity capabilities as demand for digital services continued to grow.
Adeyanju appealed for increased investment, private-sector partnerships and appropriate policy support to enable GBB connect more institutions, strengthen digital infrastructure, reduce duplication and improve public service delivery.
He said every Naira invested in digital infrastructure was an investment in productivity, innovation, economic growth and national development, assuring that GBB remained committed to delivering greater value to Nigeria and Nigerians.
Adeyanju said GBB had more than 5,000 kilometres of fibre infrastructure, data centres, cybersecurity capabilities, government email and other shared digital platforms supporting government ministries, departments and agencies.
About the Author
