Photograph — AFRICA ON THE RISE.

The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment will host its first-ever Digital Economy Summit with the theme, “Leveraging Digital Economy for Trade & Investment, “at the Statehouse Banquet Hall, Abuja, on Thursday and Friday, November 14 – 15, 2019. This is in line with the Buhari administration’s drive to diversify the economy and lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty over the next 10years while taking advantage of the opportunities in the digital economy.

The maiden edition will feature an in-depth discussion with our Special Guest Speaker, Mr Jack Ma – co-founder and former executive chairman of the globally renowned Alibaba Group.

Designed to focus on how best to support the growth of a new burgeoning industry as part of the readiness for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the Digital Economy Summit is hosted by the Ministers of Industry, Trade & Investment, Communications & Digital Economy, and Science & Technology.

The Digital Economy will be knowledge-driven, with innovation and creativity being pivotal to its success. It is one that will thrive on the innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of a youthful populace. In view of the fact that a core asset of the nation is its youthful population – with an average age of 18, from an estimated 200 million people of which 91% are below 51 years, the Summit is a welcome development. 

This Summit, a Public-Private Partnership event, which will bring together leading international and local investors, experts and policymakers from across the globe, aims to develop a framework that will help in deepening governance and collaboration between public and private sectors. This would, in turn, attract more investment for the development of Nigeria’s Digital Economy.  In addition, it will kickstart the development of Nigeria’s Digital Transformation Roadmap.

“Technology, trade and investment are inextricably linked in a digital economy,” Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Honourable Minister, Industry, Trade and Investment; said, explaining the theme for the Summit, which is strictly by invitation.

Supported by Mastercard, Facebook and the Government of Sweden including the Swedish Institute, a representative of the Swedish private sector; the Summit will also focus on how to galvanise local collaboration and investment from within the traditional sector into the rapidly growing Start-up Ecosystem.

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