As part of a strategic plan announced by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), will set up research centers devoted to new technologies such as Blockchain.
This was said by Kashifu Inuwa, who is the Director-General of NITDA, at the IoT West Africa Conference in Lagos. Inuwa talked about how these research centers will be spread out across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones. He emphasized that the centers would focus on technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), additive manufacturing, robots, and AI.
In addition to setting up the research units, the government wants to help Nigerian startups use these cutting-edge technologies to make their product creation more efficient. Innovation sandboxes will help people come up with real-world uses for new ideas, which will then make it easier for them to get on the market.
Nigeria Pioneers Blockchain Research Centers in Tech Expansion Strategy
NITDA’s current 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program helps these projects work. Its goal is to give three million Nigerians technical skills by 2027. Inuwa thinks that these skilled people will help increase foreign exchange transfers as they use their skills around the world.
The Managing Director of Vertex Next, which put together the IoT West Africa meeting, called Nigeria “Africa’s next Silicon Valley.” He said that the country’s young population and active startup scene were two of the most important reasons for its rise as a technological powerhouse.
Taneja said, “We see a lot of potential in the market and the growing number of young people who are working to develop technology.” He was referring to the conference’s role in getting investors interested in Nigerian startups.
Recent events, such as the reorganization of the National Blockchain Policy Steering Committee (NBPSC) to improve policy application, show that Nigeria is committed to advancing new technologies. Even though there are legal problems with the US over a jailed Binance executive, Nigeria still wants to work with other countries, especially in AI and other tech areas.
The Blockchain Industry Coordinating Committee of Nigeria (BICCoN), a group that supports blockchain technology, was positive about these plans but warned that they could hurt global relationships if they weren’t handled well.
