The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) says that the right regulatory and industry policies will unlock opportunities and potential in Nigeria’s digital market.

The Director-General of NIMC, Mr Aliyu Aziz, said this in a statement on Monday, and urged government to create a stable, predictable and sustainable policy to boost the digital market.

Aziz stated that such policies would encourage digital infrastructure investment, such as communication networks (broadband, mobile telecommunications, internet, online e-government and services) and smart cities.

According to him, government must create a commercial environment that allows businesses to flourish, a step that will help in unlocking the country’s digital market, thereby allowing the economy to grow.

He added that “although Nigeria’s population currently at almost 200 million presents huge potential, government needs to put in place focused programmes to stimulate demand for digital solutions. This is through the promotion of digital skills, digital local content and support for local digital applications for the opportunities to be fully harnessed.”

“Government needs to encourage and implement digital services across all sectors of the economy. Government should also establish platforms such as e-commerce and entrepreneurship ecosystem to encourage tech-enabled businesses to turn creativity into value-creating online businesses. We must introduce digital literacy in our school curriculum, as this will bring about digital skill critical for digital interaction,” he said.

(NAN)