Okonjo-Iweala said this while inspecting an ultramodern ICT factory of Omatek Computers Plc in Lagos at the weekend.
Quoting latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy said: “Each year, about 1.8 million young Nigerians entre our labour market and we need to ensure that our economy provides jobs for them and ICT is one of the sectors that can help in addressing this menace.”
The minister said the desire by the current administration to transform the economy using ICT informed the creation of the Ministry of Communication Technology in 2011, a development, she said, had been impacting positively on the economy through increased access to ICT tools and increase in the level e-commerce activities.
Okonjo-Iweala also said as part of government’s measure to drive job creation, it had provided $15 billion seed capital for the Ministry of Communication Technology to support innovation in ICT business for starts-up, especially in the area of software development.
She said: “In addition, we are also making N200 billion guarantee fund available to Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs, in all sectors, including ICT industry. The fund is a gender-friendly one, as 60 per cent of the fund is set aside for women in business.”
The minister also urged businesses in ICT sector to take advantage of the fund.
Earlier, while conducting the minister and her entourage including the top officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, Security and Exchange Commission, SEC, Managing Director, Ms. Florence Seriki, bemoaned poor patronage of locally-assembled ICT products, inadequate access to funds and lack of necessary incentives from the government.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Kunle Azeez
Quelle/Source: National Mirror, 08.07.2013
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