Something exciting is taking place in Nigeria right now. The energy in the air is palpable. The citizens can feel it. I felt it too the last time I was there. A feeling that change is coming, and is coming fast.
It didn’t take me long to trace back to the source of this unmistakable energy. Nigeria is currently undergoing rapid digital transformation—the likes of which have never been witnessed before in the nation. The likes of which could easily catapult Nigeria onto the world stage as a technological powerhouse, if the cards are played right.
What caught my attention in particular were the information and communications technology (ICT) initiatives spearheaded by Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy. The part that interested me the most was their mission statement: Aiming to expand internet access to their citizens and also to upskill local talent, incentivizing them to take up jobs in technology.
BRIDGING the gap
More than half of Nigeria is currently offline. Boasting the biggest mobile device market in Africa with over 220 million mobile subscriptions, the disparity between the demand for a tech ecosystem versus the available infrastructure is quite glaring. This is where Project BRIDGE comes into the picture.
