At the eighth and final UK-Nigeria Economic Development Forum, both parties reaffirmed their shared interest in pursuing a prospective Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership, with the total value of goods and services traded (exports + imports) between them presently standing at £5.5 billion (EDF).
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) initiatives were unveiled during a ceremony held at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja under the direction of Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, minister of Communications and Digital Economy. UK International Trade Secretary, Kemi Badenoch said: “Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy”
According to the minister, the initiative highlights the significance of broadband connection and access as being essential to achieving the objectives of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020–2030 for a digital Nigeria.
At the event, which had in attendance the chairman of the Board of the NCC, Prof. Adeolu Akande; the executive vice chairman of the Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta; the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abubakar Rasheed; and the Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof Idris Bugaje, a book authored by Pantami, titled “Skills Rather Than Just Degrees” with foreword written by Brad Smith, President of Microsoft Corporation, was unveiled for the industry.
Pantami said the book is his intellectual contribution to bridging skills gap to enable Nigerians to tap into the opportunities that exist in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and other sectors of the economy.