Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), said on Tuesday that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) start-ups have generated over $101 million to the Nigerian economy in the third quarter of 2018.
Pantami, who revealed this in Abuja at the Start-up Friday organised by NITDA for ICT young entrepreneurs, said this achievement was unprecedented in the history of ICT sector in the country.
He explained the ICT sector had been burgeoning, adding that in the second quarter of 2018, ICT contributed 13.63 percent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
According to him, “With the little efforts we have put in place, a lot has been achieved in the ICT sector today. In the case of our ICT start-ups, within the first quarter of 2018, start-ups generated $9m, in the second quarter, they generated $57million and recently in the third quarter, they generated $35million.
“This is only within 2018. This achievement is unprecedented in the history of ICT sector in Nigeria.”
The NITDA boss further disclosed that the patronage of local IT content had significantly increased as a result of strict enforcement of policies in the sector.
He pointed out that in 2013, which over 82,000 ICT facilities of the local content were purchased, adding that in 2014 and 2015, 92,000 facilities of hardware were purchased, while in 2016, he said, 150,000 facilities were purchased and in 2017, the purchases of local content rose to 300,750.
He attributed the enforcement of IT policy as being responsible for the quantum leap in the sales of Nigeria’s local content, particularly the hardware component.
“In the course of enforcement, we reported some government officials to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). They were detained by EFCC for days.
