Open Forum #49 Digital Policy as a Catalyst for Economic Growth in Nigeria

Summary

This discussion focused on data policy as a catalyst for economic growth in Nigeria, bringing together government officials, legislators, and industry stakeholders. The conversation highlighted the need for consistent and coherent policies in the digital space, with participants emphasizing the importance of collaboration between agencies and stakeholders. Key challenges identified included policy inconsistencies, mandate overlaps between agencies, and funding constraints.

Participants stressed the need for better awareness and implementation of existing policies, as well as the importance of capacity building for legislators and other stakeholders. The discussion touched on the role of civil society organizations in policy formulation and implementation, with calls for greater engagement and ease of access to policymakers.

The importance of youth involvement in the digital economy was emphasized, along with the need for Nigeria-specific solutions to address local challenges. Cybersecurity and data protection were highlighted as critical areas requiring attention, particularly in light of the growing digital landscape.

The discussion concluded with a call for more regular meetings and collaborations between stakeholders, including the proposal for quarterly meetings and the establishment of a WhatsApp group for ongoing communication. Participants agreed on the need to leverage Nigeria’s large population and talent pool to drive digital economic growth, while also learning from best practices in other countries.

Overall, the discussion underscored the importance of a unified approach to policy formulation and implementation in Nigeria’s digital economy, with a focus on collaboration, capacity building, and addressing specific challenges to drive economic growth.

Keypoints

Major discussion points:

– The need for policy coherence and consistency across government agencies in the digital/tech sector

– Challenges with implementing policies and regulations, including funding constraints and overlapping mandates

– The importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration and engagement, including with legislators, civil society, and youth

– Building capacity and awareness around digital policies, both within government and for the general public

– Leveraging Nigeria’s large youth population and tech talent for digital economic growth

Overall purpose:

The goal of this discussion was to identify challenges and opportunities related to digital/tech policy in Nigeria, and to determine concrete action items for improving policy formulation and implementation going forward.

Tone:

The tone was largely constructive and collaborative, with participants openly sharing challenges and proposing solutions. There was a sense of urgency to make progress, balanced with recognition of existing efforts. The tone became more action-oriented towards the end as participants focused on next steps and commitments.

Speakers

– Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Moderator

– Dr. D. S. Wariowei: Chairman of IGF Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group in Nigeria, Director of Corporate Planning and Strategy at NEDA

– Mary Uduma: Chairman of West African Internet Governance, Coordinator of West African Internet Governance

– Panelist: Representing the Honorable Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy

– Niteabai Dominic: Representative from NIDA (National Information Technology Development Agency)

– Dr. Vincent Olatunji: National Commissioner, Nigeria Data Protection Commission

– Khadijah Sani: Representative from Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)

– Benjamin Akinmoyeje: Representative from Internet Society Nigeria Chapter

– Adedeji Stanley-Olajide: Chairman, House Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity

Additional speakers:

– Dr. Jimson Olufuye: Long-time advocate in the technology sector

– Amina Ramallan: Youth representative, works for Nigerian Communications Commission

– Aishat Bashir Tukur: Representative from Federal Inland Revenue Services, also representing a startup

– Sinhwe Zamobilo: Senior Program Officer with Pridem Initiative, a civil society organization

Expanded Summary of Discussion on Data Policy as a Catalyst for Economic Growth in Nigeria

Introduction:

This discussion brought together government officials, legislators, and industry stakeholders to address the role of data policy in driving economic growth in Nigeria. The conversation highlighted the need for consistent and coherent policies in the digital space, emphasising the importance of collaboration between agencies and stakeholders. Participants identified key challenges and opportunities, proposing concrete actions to improve policy formulation and implementation in the digital sector.

Key Discussion Points:

1. Policy Development and Implementation:

The need for policy coherence and consistency across government agencies in the digital sector emerged as a central theme. Engr. Kunle Olorundare stressed the importance of a multistakeholder approach, including sub-national entities, in policy development. Niteabai Dominic highlighted challenges in implementing policies due to overlapping mandates between agencies. An audience member raised the importance of evaluating existing policies, suggesting a focus on improving current frameworks rather than creating new ones. The recent development of an AI strategy by the Ministry of Communication was noted as a positive step.

2. Digital Infrastructure and Access:

While progress has been made in internet access, participants noted the need for further infrastructure investment. Khadijah Sani from the Nigerian Communications Commission highlighted funding challenges for the Universal Service Provision Fund, which aims to expand connectivity to underserved areas.

3. Data Protection and Cybersecurity:

Dr. Vincent Olatunji discussed the establishment of the new Data Protection Commission, highlighting challenges such as funding issues and the need for increased awareness of data protection rights and obligations among citizens. Aishat Bashir Tukur raised concerns about cybersecurity policies, particularly in relation to youth protection online. An audience member mentioned implementation challenges related to the recent blockchain technology policy.

4. Legislative Engagement:

Adedeji Stanley-Olajide, Chairman of the House Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, stressed the need for capacity building among legislators on technology issues. She called for improved collaboration between agencies and legislators, noting the unique opportunity presented by having industry experts chairing relevant committees in both the Senate and House of Representatives. An audience member suggested the need for easier access to legislators by stakeholders. Dr. D. S. Wariowei emphasized the importance of parliamentary involvement in the Internet Governance Forum.

5. Youth Engagement in Digital Economy:

Several speakers highlighted Nigeria’s large youth population as an opportunity for digital economy growth. Amina Ramallan emphasised the need to integrate youth voices in decision-making processes and the importance of including digital literacy in school curricula.

6. International Cooperation and Best Practices:

Mary Uduma, Chairman of West African Internet Governance, discussed learning from other West African countries’ digital initiatives and highlighted the role of the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum (NIGF) as a platform for stakeholder engagement. Benjamin Akinmoyeje from the Internet Society Nigeria Chapter stressed the importance of participating in global internet governance forums and the Society’s role in representing various stakeholders. Dr. Jimson Olufuye mentioned the recent development of the Global Digital Compact and its relevance to Nigeria. However, an audience member cautioned that while learning from international best practices is valuable, there is also a need for Nigeria-specific solutions to address local digital challenges.

Areas of Agreement:

Participants largely agreed on the need for a multistakeholder approach in policy development, the importance of capacity building and awareness initiatives, and the need for further investment in digital infrastructure. There was also consensus on the importance of addressing youth-specific concerns in digital policies and leveraging Nigeria’s large youth population for digital economic growth.

Areas of Disagreement:

Some differences emerged in perspectives on policy implementation challenges. While Niteabai Dominic focused on overlapping mandates as a key issue, others emphasised the need for stronger institutions. There were also varying approaches to inclusive decision-making, with some focusing on sub-national entities and others on youth integration.

Key Takeaways and Action Items:

1. Establish quarterly meetings for stakeholders in the digital sector

2. Create a WhatsApp group for continued communication between stakeholders

3. The National Assembly to take a lead role in bringing stakeholders together

4. Explore organising a Nigeria-specific World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) forum

5. Integrate digital literacy into school curricula

6. Provide capacity building for legislators on technology issues

7. Improve access to legislators and policymakers for stakeholders

Unresolved Issues:

Several issues remained unresolved, including how to effectively address overlapping mandates between agencies, specific strategies for increasing funding for digital infrastructure projects, and detailed plans for improving cybersecurity, especially for youth.

Thought-Provoking Comments:

Dr. Vincent Olatunji’s comment that “We never land good policies anywhere. Our major challenges have been the implementation, funding, infrastructure, and labour market” shifted the focus from policy creation to implementation challenges. Adedeji Stanley-Olajide’s observation about the underutilised opportunity of having industry experts chairing key committees in the National Assembly sparked discussion about improving collaboration between government agencies and legislators.

Conclusion:

The discussion underscored the importance of a unified approach to policy formulation and implementation in Nigeria’s digital economy. Participants emphasised the need for collaboration, capacity building, and addressing specific challenges to drive economic growth. The conversation highlighted the potential of Nigeria’s large population and talent pool in the digital sector, while also acknowledging the need for tailored solutions to local challenges. Moving forward, regular meetings, improved communication between stakeholders, and increased parliamentary involvement were identified as crucial steps in advancing Nigeria’s digital policy landscape.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Thank you. Good afternoon. A brief welcome remarks. The chairman of IGF Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group in Nigeria, who is also the director in charge of Corporate Planning and Strategy of NEDA, I welcome Mr. Weoradi, Dr. Weoradi, and please give us a very brief opening remarks. You’re welcome.

Dr. D. S. Wariowei: Thank you, distinguished speaker. Thank you very much for coming. I have the privilege to welcome all of you to this meeting. This is actualizing our NIGF in Nigeria. Now we’re doing this in Saudi Arabia. Briefly, we had our NIGF in Nigeria in Port Harcourt last two months, in October precisely, and we had several sessions, the youth session, the women IGF, as well as the internet school. We all had that. It was quite a successful one, and now that we are doing it here in Saudi Arabia, we’ve learned quite a lot, and as we intend to implement what we have learned when we get back to Nigeria. Specifically, I note the parliamentary session that I attended a few minutes ago, and it was glaring that so much can be achieved if we involve the parliamentarians in our NIGF journey. And this far, they’ve been slightly far away, and I think that by the time we return back to Nigeria, we should co-opt them so that they should be part of it, so that in our next IGF meeting sometime next year, they will have a full representation to guide how we go about. this thing. A few other things we’ve learned here, we intend to apply when we get back to our country. So on that note, I welcome all of you to this session, knowing that at the end of the session, we should be able to come out with action points that we can implement. Thank you very much.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Thank you so much, the Chair of Nigeria, Mike. And at this point in time, I’m going to be inviting Engineer Farag Yusuf. First, he will give the opening remarks of the Honorable Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy. And after that, I will also be inviting him to commence the conversation. But for now, let him put on the cap of the Minister. So Honorable Minister of Communication, Information and Digital Economy, you have a few minutes to make the opening remarks of the Minister. I hope you can all hear me. The Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and

Panelist: Cybersecurity, our very able distinguished Senator, Shaib Apolabi. Our Chairman, House Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, also Honorable Adedeji Stanley. The representative of the Director General of NIDA, the Director of ICT at the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy. Very distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, a very good evening to everyone. It is indeed a great pleasure for me to, first of all, be at the Internet Governance Forum 2024 here in Riyadh for the first time. I’m actually attending this for the very first time. so you can as well imagine my excitement about what I’ve seen in the last few days. That said, I’m here standing as being introduced, speaking on behalf of His Excellency the Honorable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, who would have been here but for other very cogent reasons. And I spoke with him this morning. I mentioned to him that there is this session that is going to be coming up and he asked that I should send his very warm greetings to all of you and to express the appreciation of the Ministry of Communications for most of you that have taken the pains to be here to represent Nigeria, especially those members of the Nigerian Internet Governance Forum who have steadily been hands-on both here in Riyadh and before now in ensuring that the digital economy of Nigeria continues to strive. And more importantly, for the fact that today has been scheduled specifically to discuss a very important topic in Nigeria. I think there would be no better topic to be discussed in this kind of time, reflecting on so many things. The fact that Nigeria Nigeria has already positioned itself in terms of our activities and our recognition as a leading, if not the most, the fastest growing country in terms of digital economy. Of course, without a doubt, we have witnessed phenomenal growth with regards to innovators, entrepreneurs, and even investors within the last couple of years. We’ve seen unicorn companies emerging out of Nigeria’s digital economy, companies like Plotterwaves, Paystack, and a lot of others that are at different stages of incubating themselves. So it is fine that in this kind of time, we sit around the table like this and reflect back and see what are those opportunities and what are those challenges that we need to address. This can only be done through policies. And that’s why, again, this meeting is extremely important. It’s no more news that the Nigerian population is well over 200 million people. And we’re also very much aware that out of this, over 65% are currently under the age of 35. And that placed Nigeria appropriately to lead in the economic, I mean, digital economy transformation agenda, not only of our. country, but of our region and indeed of the world. We can only do that if we have the right policies in place. Policies that create the enabling environment for us to build a world-class infrastructure in terms of fiber optics, connectivity infrastructure, fiber optics satellites, microwaves, and the rest. It’s also only through policies that we’re able to position Nigeria with regards to talents, our ability to make good use of the resource, human resource we have, and channeling them towards local and international capacities for the growth of this very important sector. Of course, as we speak, internet access is almost 75%, which means almost 150 million people. The entire population of the Gulf having access in our country for internet. And that’s a huge opportunity that requires this kind of discussion. Again, we have big opportunities in terms of our infrastructure. The meeting we are having today, although it’s mostly a mix of different Nigerian agencies, I think it presents us with a very unique opportunity to think around this. that we have the benefit of having our legislators here with us, come up with big, fast ambitions that could literally allow for us to move forward. Before I round up, I want to just mention a few policy issues that have recently happened in the country so that it will help our discussant to chart even a better course. By 2021, we already had the National G7 Economy Policy and Strategy. As a beginning of 2023, mid-2023, we had a ministerial strategic blueprint that is built on five pillars of knowledge, talent, and literacy, second being policy, third being infrastructure, fourth being innovation, entrepreneurship, and capital, and the fifth being trade, particularly inter-African trade and international trade. So with this, also, the ministry was able to develop an AI strategy. Many of us have had, throughout the times we’ve been here, the discussion has all around and centered around artificial intelligence. And we are told, and we can clearly see, that any country that is not in the pool fund stand the risk of being left behind. And in a very proactive manner, the leadership of the Ministry of Communication, working with all of you here as agencies and legislators, were able to develop this forward-looking strategic blueprint that led into that artificial intelligence strategy, which I believe is one of the leading documents, not only on African continent, but around the world. And this is because of the manner in which the policy was developed. It was actually created by bringing the best friends of Nigeria’s origin from all over the world, from MIT, Harvard, Oxford, TM, and the rest, coming together to spend a whole week. Abuja, thinking about the best practices around the world. So I believe Nigeria is currently in a position and taking advantage of the enormous knowledge we have gathered from this event. We should be able to go back home and then translate these learnings into implementing our already existing policies and frameworks back at home. So on this note, distinguished senator, distinguished member, other distinguished guests, I want to thank everyone for being here. I also want us to be open-minded. This is a platform and opportunity for us to discuss robustly so that we can take away something that can be applied back home for the good of our people. I thank you for listening. Thank you.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Nigeria, you are part of Nigeria. Please clap for yourself. I’m sorry, my hands are ticking. But I’ll take you to stop before you go to Riyadh. So you will have to thank everyone and stuff for that. I’m going to do that. So maybe for them. It will take a lot of efforts to see the minister or the peers back in Nigeria. Coming to National Assembly is also not an easy task. Madam Uduma is always traveling. At an internet society. is always on the internet. So now that we’re here, I want us to be able to live here with some concrete action points, so that we just don’t come here and just talk and then we go. This is a Nigeria Open Forum, so it’s an interface between us and all the stakeholders. I want us to be able to live here with some two, three, four, five action points that when we get back to Nigeria, we cannot begin to follow up on, so that it doesn’t take us meeting again in Norway next year before we call another Nigeria Open Forum, I’ll be going to discuss the same issue we have discussed all over again. So I’m gonna be asking specific questions. So I’m gonna start with Madam Uduma. Today we are talking about data policy as a catalyst for economic growth. As the Chairman of West African Internet Governance, Coordinator of West African Internet Governance, are there insights you can share with us of things that have happened in other West African countries and possibly other countries? And you have five minutes to be able to do this so that we can have an opportunity of taking interventions also from the audience. Are there things we can learn from other West African countries when it comes to policy formulation, particularly in a digital space?

Mary Uduma: Thank you very much. I hope you can hear me. Yes, first of all, I want to thank, I want to stand on the existing protocol that the Honorable Minister and the PAMSEC of our ministry has established and the Senator as well. I greet you all. And the truth is this, that every African country, West African country, is interested in digital economy, digital transformation, development, security, data, protecting our data, making sure our privacy is respected. So- And some have gone far, you know, like in Benin, where they now merge their identity. Your identity in Benin, your data identity in Benin, is what you use for your hospital, is what you use for your bank, is what you use for registration, for any identity process you want to carry out in Benin. I just want to use Benin as an example. So they have done that, harmonized their data, harmonized their processes, and they’re also developing their data. I’m not sure their data protection policy is as good as ours, because ours is very, very robust. But the thing is that they harmonized. They harmonized it in such a way that there’s a converging point, whether you are going to hospital or bank or going for election, so your identity is your identity. They’ve harmonized that. That’s one of the policies we have seen in West Africa that has happened. And we are also, there’s this West African Data Protection Initiative that is on, and we had, ECOWAS is facilitating it, and so there are some countries in West Africa that have done some work in their data protection, but ours is still better than others. Ghana has done very well, but I don’t think it’s as robust as our own, though, that, well, we are bigger. We are bigger in number, and so we have a lesson to learn from Ghana. They’ve gone very, they’ve done very well in their data protection strategy and legislation. Other countries like Sierra Leone, they’ve not even started anything, and Senegal is also coming up with some, but not. not as good as we are looking at it. So for me, in West Africa, Nigeria is still leading, and we should continue the lead, and we should also make sure that our legislation must be, I mean, our policies must be progressive one, our legislation must be a progressive one, and we will make sure that we are protected. Our children in particular are protected, and we’ll be in the online environment, safely in the online environment, and we’ll convert our population to economy. What do I say, what do I mean by that? That we have big population that the minister has told us, over two million, and so there’s not even, over 200 million, sorry, over 200 million. So there’s nothing that we bring in that will not surpass every other, there’s no bill, there’s no legislation, there’s no policy that we implement that will not surpass all others in our sub-region. We have the private sector. Once upon a time, I met somebody from Cote d’Ivoire. He was selling, is it okay? He wanted to market his products, his cream for women. So I met him in Ethiopia. He said, it’s crazy to be in Nigeria. You can’t meet the demand. So in technology, you can’t meet the demand. In physical products, you can’t meet the demand. In data generation and data economy, we can’t meet the, nobody can beat us on it. So I. I believe that we have the numbers, we have the talent, we have the wherewithal to be able to surpass what we are doing now. So, I mean, if we do it right, right? If we do it right, we attract investment, investment in our infrastructure, investment in everything we do. Thank you.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Thank you, Madam. I think what I came through from our intervention is that our glass as a country is half full, not half empty. We may not be there yet, but we have made substantial progress. And the second part of it is that there are also a few lessons from other countries around us and from Africa as a whole. And thirdly, a number of also policies are also being developed around us that we, as a member of ECOWAS and AU, we also need to be very much familiar with so that in fashioning our local policies, we also benefit from some of these initiatives. Thank you, Madam. Now, Madam Secretary, I’m going to you now. One of the challenges of our country is inconsistency in policy formulation. And in this panel, you are the number one bureaucrat. How do we ensure, and you mentioned that in 2021, there was this policy. And in 2022, there was this policy. How do we put in place a framework, some sort of safeguard to ensure that the policy of 2021 is not upturned in 2023 and a new one in place in 2025? How do we ensure policy consistency, particularly in a digital age?

Panelist: Okay, thank you very much again, distinguished Senator. That is absolutely a very fair and correct statement to say that we, and it’s just not. peculiar to Nigeria. Policy inconsistencies, policy somersault and so on and so forth are a norm in many jurisdictions. One thing that is causing this is largely due to very weak institutions. So our governance structure is such that individuals become more powerful than the institutions they lead. And so when you have that kind of a situation, you are faced with very weak ability for the bureaucrats to guide the politicians, because mostly it’s the politicians, people like you, that are actually pulling the shots. And without us developing our political frameworks for politicians and our bureaucrats to be on the same page, we continue to have this kind of problems. So I think one of the key things that we can do to address this problem is by fair group learning like this. We’re all here, we’ve listened to so many jurisdictions, how they are striving, how they are moving forward. Look at all those countries that are succeeding. One common thing you will find about them is that they have been consistent in their policies development. Now having said that, I want to acknowledge the fact that in Nigeria today we’ve really come a long way in terms of our consistency. Because as we speak, most of the policies that I mentioned were actually done by previous regimes. And I think that gives us a kudos and and thumbs up, realizing that a new administration, when they come, they also in this regard.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Yes, thank you. Thank you. And it appears peer learning and then, of course, also to continue to have multistakeholder approach so that when we have a very strong multistakeholder approach, including the civil society, it becomes difficult for any government to just change a policy. And of course, we must continue to have engagement between the brokerage and those of us who are tenants. The brokers are the landlords, but the politicians are our tenants. Let me now go to Netherland. Nether, you are at the center of most of our policy implementation. While the ministry is in the forefront of formulating this policy, the agencies under the ministry are those that implement the policy. And in particular, Nether, you have a role to play. Let me ask you, what are the challenges of policy implementation now? The ministry, the government, formulates policies which you are supposed to implement. And now and then, we see agencies, our government, flouting some of those policies. Even when sometimes some of the initiatives are supposed to be vetted by you and approved by you, what are the challenges you have in implementing some of the policies, particularly in the digital space?

Niteabai Dominic: Thank you very much, distinguished senator. And I stand on existing protocols. Nether is in a unique position because we basically deal with digital technologies either as a tool or as a sector on its own. And because digital technologies permeates every sector, it becomes difficult for you to step into the space of other regulators to manage and handle digital technologies in their space. Remember, most of these core regulators also have their mandates and powers prescribed by existing laws. And so they are entitled to actually carry out those functions which they are actually carrying out right now. Take for example, the CBN. When they’re dealing with monetary policies, they definitely have to deal with technology as well because it affects their monetary policies. And so the challenge in actually implementing government policy is the fact that a policy may govern a certain area and yet there’s another policy that affects that policy from a totally different sector on its own. And this government agency have legitimate authority to actually implement those structures. So I think one of the greatest things that can actually happen is not only about policy somersault and policy change, but also policy coherence and opportunity for different regulators to actually have a forum and opportunity, like you mentioned, the multi-stakeholder model to engage and discuss and have a common position regarding the application of technology in their various sectors. This will create the kind of coherence that will enable NIDA to go on and implement its functions under its mandates and ensure that government policy actually achieve those goals which they have been developed to achieve. So just an opportunity for all regulators to collaborate. mandate and ensure there’s a uniform position whenever we are dealing with technology issues, it will help NIDA to implement its mandate appropriately. So that’s one of the greatest difficulties, sir.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: I’m getting really excited that we are having some of the issues that may hamper full implementation of some of our policies and the realisation of our vision. Before I go to NCC, there’s a baby in the house and that baby is a data protection commission. I think among all the agencies, they are the last established in 2023, 2024. So Dr Vincent Olatunji, if you can hear me, now you have been at the helm of affairs of a new agency as a pioneer national commissioner in the last one year. What has been your experience? What do we need to do differently? So that because before you become an octopus like NCC or NIDA, is there anything we need to tweak now in your act or your experience that you want to share with us in the next three minutes?

Dr. Vincent Olatunji: Thank you very much. The team is set it up and our chair of this ICT and sub-administration.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Please unmute the man.

Dr. Vincent Olatunji: Thank you. Can you hear me now? Yes. Yes. Can you hear me? Yes, I can. Can you hear me now? Thank you very much everybody. The team is set it up. Our chair of ICT and sub-administration. I’m really excited to be joining this afternoon virtually, I would love to be there physically but because of so many things going on here, I couldn’t join, but because of the trends I have in Watts, we are glad to be here to be able to actually join virtually. The theme of this virtual forum, which is about inter-political and capitalist development is very important at this point in time. What I would like to say is that we never land good policies anywhere. Our major challenges have been the implementation, funding, infrastructure, and labor market. We have very robust and constructive policies in different sectors. Unfortunately, this is the economic sector. But implementation has been a major challenge. The policy of 2000, the policy of 2003-2007, the economic policy, now we have the material blueprints for the sector, the AI strategy that has just been developed, and more importantly the Data Protection Act of 2023. All these are things that governments have put in place to ensure that we have a robust economy in this country. And this has actually impacted our socio-economic development. I’m going to lay down the contribution of this sector to our GDP. We are doing over 18% now, as compared to less than 4% from 20 years ago. Now, coming to the issue of privacy and data protection, we don’t want to talk about digital economy in any way. The foundation is digital identity. So recognizing that in Nigeria, who has every right to be protected. As the Nigerian government has made the announcements, and the people, the politicians, the people that are concerned, we expect that it has to be amended. Before we know, perhaps God, I will sign on this appellate letter to the President on June 23. Now, to the question of our challenges, I think it is the number of issues that will be coming up with the organizations, either in the private sector or the public sector. There are definitely two main challenges that will come up. But number one in Nigeria is the issue of awareness. A lot of people don’t even know what they are talking about when you mention data provision. Data subjects don’t know their rights. Data controllers and prosecutors don’t appreciate or know their obligations to data subjects. Even when they know, they are still very hesitant in terms of compliance. And this is even worse in the public sector, where a lot of them see themselves as God. And these institutional algorithms, the algorithms of government organizations, will say, oh, we can do whatever we like. And we’re going to obey any of that. That has been the major challenge. However, we have worked with a lot of stakeholders to ensure that we are compliant. Now, funding has always been a major challenge for all organizations, had there been a system before or now. But now, they were just coming up. It has been very, very challenging. But we thank God it’s a good week. And you know, with a lot of different factors, that’s how we were able to come this far. Health and human capital. This ecosystem we think new in Nigeria is just arriving. And a lot of resources are needed for us to make qualified customers, experts, in the sense of clinicians. I will not say that data controllers and prosecutors are their designated data protection officers. And in Nigeria, we have over 500,000 data controllers and prosecutors. Whereas, those of us who are certified data protectors, who are qualified prosecutors, these are going to be less than 10,000. So there’s a huge gap. I think that jobs that are ready for us to take on, that will be a major challenge. Even for the commission itself, in terms of recruiting, training, and retaining qualified personnel, that will be a major challenge. Some of our personnel, in the last two years that we’ve started, it was several of our personnel’s objectives due to the fact that our immigration is very, very poor as compared to what we did in the private sector. But the most important thing is that we are making progress, and now we have the lawyer, and things are different as compared to when we were doing what we were doing. And because of this law, we had a lot of international conventions, took a lot of organizations, and we have a lot of partnerships, and we are happy that we have the chair of the House of Senators here with us. In terms of agency provision, they should really assist us to ensure that we are appropriately financed in order to be able to deal with our budget. Without funding, we won’t be able to really do anything. Infrastructure, obviously it’s a big job. It’s a high job. It has to be deployed. As far as possible things are, reporting, which is creating awareness, investigations, trainings, and so many other things that we need their support. So we are happy that we are, we have already just submitted this next year’s budget to you, and we hope, we believe that with your support, we will be able to assist you to be better funded next year. And we are happy that both of you, you are professionals in the sector, you should be with us as long as we are in the tech ecosystem. Also, we would certainly like you to join us in what we are developing in BIM. If you are already a supporter, I would really be proud of your support. Um Continue to um our uh next year who reasons Thank you.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Thank you national reported that you have not they are in the holy land. They will they will repent here before they they will repent here before they go. Thank you national commissioner. Um if if the challenge of uh the data protection commission is about being in infancy is about uh learning the ropes about certain problems NCC do you have the challenge of policy of You came on board sometimes ago. You have done such a very great job. Are your policies still in tandem or regulations are they still taking cognizance of current realities as our time NCC was created you are more about mobile telephony today we have AI, we have quantum computing we have a number of other things that have changed the landscape are your policies and regulations are they still very much in line with the current realities or does it need to tweak them

Khadijah Sani: Thank you very much sir um just like you rightly said the NCC enjoys a very unique position um our act in itself is also a very um robust act um it has served as a reference point for not only Nigeria but other countries um to look for forward to yes um there’s been quite a number of developments over the years from when um the act was done in and to date um we accede to that fact we do have places in the act of course that we want to to update but um as at this point I think our act is still very robust enough to cater for the changes because um in the first place apart from the mobile numbers that we’re dealing with the act also provides for us for all electronic um addresses which basically is IP addresses and ASNs so from that angle if you look at it um the act covers not only the mobile telephony or um telephony aspect but also the internet aspect as well so it’s very robust in that manner but um it’s inevitable um there’s convergence in every um everywhere you look at um your device is also um our mobile phones are now points we access the internet they’re also where we used to make calls and in some cases they’re also our offices basically so there’s a convergence in that sense and definitely as the future grows we also must converge in terms of regulation and that’s something that is um inevitable for the whole industry not only the the NCC of course um NITDA is here other agencies like he has mentioned we all have interaction from that point of view even with data protection we deal with um in areas where we feel there are need for us in terms of security for example in terms of in terms of data protection, and so on. So you can see that there has to be that convergence or that work relationship between all the agencies under the ministry, and especially because we, like I said, we are an enabling, we’re regulating an enabling environment. Yes, thank you.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Let me say a word on you before you move. We have USPF as part of initiative to ensure that the underserved communities, or we have very, we’ve minimized the digital divide. And yet, we’re looking at a UNESCO, they’ve just come up with a IUI, the new indices to measure connectivity, to measure how countries are progressing on digital divide. And Nigeria does seem to rank very high on that list. Is our USPF policy working?

Khadijah Sani: Well, the policy itself is working, but like NDPC has mentioned as well, always lies with funding, basically. Nigeria is a very large country, and we have a population of over 200 million, a lot of unserved and underserved areas. In fact, even within the cities that are on the unserved areas, if you look at it from the perspective of let’s say fiber rollout, for example, even within cities like Abuja, in fact, apart from Abuja, Lagos, and maybe Port Harcourt, I don’t think we have any commercial FTTH savings in any of the state capitals. So from even that point of view, you can see the challenge that is there for us as Nigerians. Well, that means the USPF is actually quite limited in terms of the funding they can put in all the areas. So most of the concentration of effort has been the rural areas, and has been of course provision of mobile connectivity, and which incidentally takes about 98% of all internet connectivity in Nigeria comes through mobile connectivity. So I think in that aspect, yes, the USPF has been trying, but yes, there is need to do more, but what is. holding us back mostly is funding, because of the amount of money we have for those projects would not be enough to go around all the constituencies. Thank you.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: General Andare, the civil society, and by the way, let me announce that there’s gonna be another side function from the National Assembly. I’m therefore bringing honorable, I wanted to ensure that you are not aware that it will be speaking. Now that you have spoken your minds, all the agencies have spoken except the civil society. Please join me in welcoming honorable Stanley, I’ll allow the DDDG to join the panel. You’ll be providing a broad oversight function on these agencies, because I also have a question for you. Now I’m not speaking today as a legislator, and I don’t want the electoral voice to be muted. So let me use the power of microphone to bring you to the… So you have listened to all of them. You listened to Dr. Vincent Lalatunji who said the president just presented a budget. I never wish you, if you get all the budget for us. So the civil society, what do you think your roles are in policy formulation and in holding government agencies accountable for implementation of unannounced policies? How far so far use of experience in Nigeria to guide us?

Benjamin Akinmoyeje: All right, thank you very much. I think that is a very good question for a civil society and at the same time, an advocacy group. Let me start by saying that the Internet Society is an advocacy group, and actually it’s a global advocacy group. And of course we have chapters in all countries. We have in the Nigerian chapter, which of course I preside on, and we are chartered. Chartered in the sense that we have our own board, and of course we have executive council. So for roles in Internet Society, what we do is to try as much as possible to collaborate with the agencies to see that what is being postulated is brought to fruition. That is one of the things we have been doing. And for us in this particular era, we believe that people need to be digitally literate, and we have a lot of initiatives that we are preaching in that regard. And as a matter of fact, we work with the Nigerian Internet Governance Forum, the Multistakeholder Advisory Group to organize what is known as Nigerian School on the Internet Governance. This year, we organized the fifth edition, and it has been acclaimed to be the best so far, so good. And what we do in the NSIG is to bring people up to speed in terms of knowledge, in terms of, okay, you need to be digitally literate, you need to be aware of what is happening within the Internet Governance space. And apart from that, one other initiative that we have been involved in is because we believe that the women or the ladies folk or the girls folk is very unique, and they need to be given special attention. So we came to the United Nations Stroke ITU in the Girls in My City Day, and we do celebrate it every year. And it may interest you to know that even this year, we collaborated with another… government organization known as Ndupe Kalu Foundation, and we trained over 600 girls in ICT. What we’re trying to achieve is to ensure that, okay, a girl child is also part of this community that we’re talking about, and they need to be digitally literate, and they need to be in the field. That is one of our initiatives. And on the issue of, okay, how do we work with the government agency? We’ve been working with them, actually, and one of the things we try to do is to try as much as possible to let her hear to the grant. Whenever there is going to be a new policy, we try as much as possible to get into the stakeholders forum, you know, open forum, so that our voices can be heard. We believe in the rule of law, and we believe that, okay, things must follow due process. However, everybody needs to be carried along, and for us to do that, we came to such, you know, so that we can, you know, our own opinion. I would believe that by doing that, at the end of the day, we’re going to have a very robust and sound policy. And you may also be interested to know that, apart from that, we’ve also been, you know, been in touch with, what I mean by that is that we believe that internet is a great equalizer. Equalizer in the sense that if you’re rich, you use the internet. If you’re a senator, you use the internet. If you’re not a senator, you use the internet. And of course, the opportunity is the same for everybody, and we believe that, okay, internet must be everywhere. And if it must be everywhere, so we need to, you know, ensure that the infrastructure, that the digital infrastructures are well proliferated. And of course, for us to have the internet, the infrastructure must be on ground. And if they’re on ground, of course the services too must be on ground. And for us, we believe that, yes, this 21st century is all about the internet. That is the digital economy. And that’s why we are part of this. And sir, I want to, to make this call, that if, Peraventsho, there is a way that whenever there’s going to be an approval, because the truth is that we may not hear about everything that is going on, but if there’s a channel of communication that can be set up so that at least, you know, civil organizations can be informed, so that at least we’ll be part of your process, we’ll be glad to do that. Thank you.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Peraventsho, we must thank you for your effort as a civil society organization. Policies, regulations, they are subsidiary to legislation. And therefore, in the last few days, here, the experience and the usual refrain from all the parliaments across the world is this seemingly disconnect between the legislature and the executive branch of government, such that you have a situation where countries sign protocols, they sign conventions, but they are not ratified back at home because the legislators didn’t understand the basis or they were not part of it in the first instance. In your view, Honorable Chairman of the House Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, what do you think we need to do to bridge the gap between the legislatures and the rest of the stakeholders, particularly our agencies and the executive branch of government?

Aditi Stanley-Olajide: Thank you, my respected colleague, Senator Shrives Afolabi-Salisu, and permit me to stand on existing protocol. I am Honorable Aditi Stanley-Olajide. First thing first, thank you for this opportunity to speak. Secondly, it’s unfortunate that it only takes us to be in a country like this for us to sit down at a round table, but we’ll make the best of it. So you raised a very important question about the gap. I can tell you there is no bill or no act that is establishing any of this agency seated here that is going to stand the test of time. All of them are obsolete. I can tell you that for free. NCC Act, NIDA Act, well, even the NDPC Act that we just recently passed, there’s a few things that we need to amend there. Because some people are taking advantage of loopholes that are in the acts. So how can we bridge this gap? For the first time in the history of the National Assembly, you have industry people chairing the committees in both the Senate and the House. And I don’t believe that you’re taking advantage of it. We’re here to serve. We’re here to leverage. We’re here to synergize with you. But oftentimes, I see people being territorial. This is my territory. I don’t want anybody on it. And oftentimes, we are scrambling for information to help you. If you need me to help you with better act or amend your act, I must know exactly your pain points. Well, oftentimes, you cannot articulate your pain points to the National Assembly. So at the end of the day, we end up doing what might not necessarily be 100% to your advantage. We’ll do something, whether you like it or not. But the question is in what you really need. I think collaboration, what are your performance review of where you are will be helpful to us. OK, what are the challenges you are faced with right now? NDPC. are struggling right now because NCC need that. They are not funding them. They are the ones that have been chartered to fund them. But if they don’t fund them, that agency will be scrambling. So we are looking for money for NDPC, but at the same time, the act was very clear that NCC and NIDA for two years must fund them. But at this point, they are still struggling. So in a way, we have to work together. The key here is collaboration. And let me also say this to shake the table a little bit. There are a bit of misplaced priorities also in some of our agencies. Because oftentimes, like NCC is a regulatory body, you know, sometimes you find them doing things in the space of NIDA. So there are duplications of, you know, mandates. The clear mandate of NIDA is very clear, but sometimes you find NCC playing in that role. And sometimes you also find other agencies outside of this ministry, or the agency seated here, also performing the roles of NIDA or NCC. So in a way, we also have to understand these things clearly. And even if we have to take out some clauses in the act of some of these other agencies, because that was one of the reasons why the president is looking at consolidating some agencies, or maybe set some aside. Some of these agencies, their budget was cut this year, 2024. I can tell you 50% of the revenue of NCC was cut. Ilias, NIDA, same thing. I can ask them, do you know exactly why it was cut? Did any of you… National Assembly Chairman, did they actually fight for you to get that money back? Because they can’t. They are fighting right now for me to get that money back, and they will. So we have to work together. So to the point of the chairman, what we need to take away from here is that we need to cut down the bureaucracy, drop the ceiling, or drop the guard, so that we can work together with you to create better laws that will help you move your agencies forward, and our country, Nigeria, can be projected into the future. Because for me, I’m looking forward to Africa, where we have one single currency. We have one single passport. We have one single central bank that will govern the entire Africa. And also, we have the ease of doing business across entire Africa will be taken down. So thank you very much for your question, and let me stop right there. Thank you.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: My brother for that intervention, and I’m extremely delighted that I actually called him. I wouldn’t have been able to combine that together. That was, I’ll be the judge in my own case, but he has eloquently conveyed what I believe represent the views of the next leaders. Have you heard about Chatham House before? Chatham House Roads? If you have heard about it, please raise up your hand. OK. It means, so this place has now been converted to Chatham House. Anything you say, anything, your views, will not be used against you, because I listen to the National Assembly. You know, because while we, I’m extremely delighted that we’re having this, I mean, to me, I’m going to solve the last 10 minutes for us to actually agree on the action points. I don’t want to preside over a session that we just talk and we disappear. I want us to go back home and have something that we’re going to do. So I’m going to turn the microphone to the audience, but just in case, just for us to be on the same page, a bit of a few things. Number one, there are a few things that we need to learn from other countries. And there are also a number of initiatives that are going on that we can also benefit from. They are from EU, from GIZ, from UNESCO. So the first thing we need to recognize that, yes, we are big and we are doing very well, but there are also other countries that are also doing some initiatives that we can learn from. Number two is that in order to ensure that our policies are sustainable and are consistent, we must continuously do peer review within the country and outside the country. And we must also ensure that we adopt a multistakeholder approach. And I’m going to extend this multistakeholder approach a little bit. We also need to involve the sub-nationals in some of the policies that we develop. Otherwise, we develop federal policies and the sub-nationals, they do whatever they like. So I think multistakeholder approach also includes sub-nationals. Number four, there are mandate overlaps between our agencies. And this is because, as an example, the CBN Act, as I tell you, it was propagated in time to say that banking would become technology. So today, banking is no longer banking as it used to be. Banking is not technology. But being technology, it’s not technology. it puts banking right. I mean, after all, who heard about what they call FinTech 10 years ago? There was no FinTech. So today we talk about FinTech, meaning that there’s an intersection between a financial industry and the technology industry. That has also now brought some little frictions between those who have the mandate to develop technology and those who have mandates to regulate banking. So mandate of a lot. Policy incoherence, and I know this very well, very strongly, which is also related to the one above. Sometimes a policy in banking may complete the policy in a week. The one in health may complete with the one in transport. So policy incoherence. That’s a need for regulators to collaborate more regularly. If you are working for the same country for the same goal, you can sit around the table. Rather than agencies and individuals are coming and escaping from one agency to the other or being called upon by different agencies, we can have a unified approach to provide, I mean, to destroy our mandate. Policy awareness is a great thing. A number of people are not even aware that we have a National Data Protection Commission and its roles and responsibilities. We need to create more awareness. Funding will also always be an issue. And it has already said, not just in a Data Protection Commission, but even NCC for that matter. USPF complained not having enough money. Then I wonder who has money on this table. Capacity building. And capacity building, I will also extend it to also include capacity building for the legislators. It is true, I’ve been in the industry for close to 40 years, and I must recognize Dr. James Olufoye here. We are together in the Digital Computers Association of Nigeria, the Inter-Nigeria Computer Society, ITANI, SPON, and a lot of those others. We are there in the National Assembly to establish NITRA. Most of these agencies were there as civil society, as a private sector player then. So I am aware. But I can’t say beyond Honorable Stanley Adelidji. I can’t say members of his committee. I can’t mention two or three of them who are technology savvy. In my committee as well, beyond me, maybe one or two other people, I can’t say that people can fully understand what it is they were talking about, artificial intelligence or cyber security. So capacity building, the quality of legislation is directly related to the quality of the awareness of the legislators. If you are not aware, our process in the chamber requires us that the bill should go to first reading, second reading, third reading. And there are so many bills, and you want to get your bill passed. So whatever information you have, that’s what you put in the bill. And it goes out, and then the civil society are going to say, hey, this National Assembly. When we are doing the bill, where were you? So capacity building should also be for National Assembly members. And this also goes to the agencies. I mean, for us, it is not a perfunctory thing to just put a stakeholder as a trainee in your budget. And therefore, it just means to just fulfill some rationales. We would like to see members of the Senate Committee on ICT and cyber security, members of House Committee on ICT and cyber security, to be given proper training, proper training. And I mean proper training. I mean, for some of us, we may not require training in the areas of technology again. But in the area of technology, we need training. of policy formulation, to know what the EU is doing on artificial intelligence, to know what is coming up in terms of cyber security, to know the African Union free container-free, you understand what I wanted to say? OK, OK. You know, there was a data policy framework. So these agencies, in your budget, put something substantial for capacity build. And it’s not the one that you go and give a contractor to, and say, OK, yes, we have trained them. It won’t happen this year. Infrastructure is also a major issue. Then somebody spoke about, I mean, silos, being territorial, and, of course, the need for periodic interface around table. We have conversed that the digital economy ecosystem, we should have our own off-site, where all of these agencies will come together, from NIDA to NECOMSTAR, from NECOMSTAR to, I mean, to NIPO, from NIPO to the one in the satellites. Yeah, because if you want to deliver service to the country, some services will be done territorially. Some will be done using satellite. Some will require the collaboration of NCC with postal services. Some will require NIDA to begin to look at the budget. And luckily, peers, you are here. I mean, we’re having a family meeting now. We have situations where you see agencies. This year, they will say automation. Next year, they will say software. The following year, they will say equipment. The next year, they will say, and then you ask yourself, and when you put all of these together, they run into billions of dollars. And sometimes you ask, NIDA, are you seen some of these budget items that go not to nowhere. And neither is support. You’re supposed to be able to approve some of them to say, OK, do this. We’ll see it as legislator now and then. We did an exercise for 2023 and 2024. All you need to do is to do a search, and you’ll see the various budget items coming up. If you buy equipment this year, OK, next year, where are those equipment before you buy another one? Do we have a National Asset Registry? OK. My job is not to limit our conversations. It’s also to stimulate you to say, OK, now we have charter house rule. Forget that the PS is here. For this purpose, it’s engineer. I look, you sue. F-N-S-E. Period. Agreed? Forget that neither is here. Even if you’re a NIDA staff, we want to make your call, just look straight in the face. I’ll give you the parliamentary immunity. So Nigerians who are here, I think there can’t be a better place for us to meet than here. If I’m back in Nigeria, there will be too many distractions. So the last 45 minutes have been extremely, very, very important. And we have 15 minutes to round up. So if you have any intervention that you think can help us, please raise up your hand. And I’ll start with Dr. Olufoye.

Audience: Our distinguished senator and our protocol.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Olufoye, you know we know our senator for over 40 years now. He will deliver another lecture. But you’ll do it for 90 seconds. And your time starts now. One, two.

Audience: So I stand on the existing protocols. James Olufoye, once again. And we’ve been in this process since 1995, advocacy and engaging the stakeholders. Now, there are two points I just want to raise. The first one, we’ve been talking about collaboration, multi-stakeholder engagement. The solution is in. here, the Net Mundia Multi-Stakeholder Guideline. In April this year at Sao Paulo, stakeholders came together and we agreed on the best approach on how to ensure that all stakeholders come together, all stakeholders come together and discuss meaningfully. And it’s in that situation we can have all people to buy in. Buying is very important because every stakeholder will now capacitate their communities, sub-national, parliamentarian, all agencies. So we need to do that. So I have copies of this, so as many as I want to pick it up, it’s summarised here. Secondly, there is something new called the Summit of the Future, talking about global digital comparison. I can tell you for free that is the fulfilment of the second outcome of the WSIS 2005 agenda. The first one was IGF, which is successful. The second one has not been successful as well, it’s just this September it became successful. We are on the Summit of the Future. Now they are talking about how do we implement it. I want to recommend, because we don’t want new institutions, we don’t want to set up any bottlenecks, let’s use the existing frameworks. For example, we have Nigeria IGF, I want to thank Amazon, Madam Mary, please let us appreciate her. For starting that, she pushed it rigorously and I love it. Then the other thing I want to mention, we don’t have WSIS. So I want to charge us, the ministry, to lead. UNECA leads for Africa and it’s wonderful, just like United Nations lead. So let’s put that in place so that we can have Nigeria WSIS forum. We’ve never had WSIS meeting in Nigeria. We need to have a forum where we discuss this new thing without setting up new institutions. That’s what we believe in the private sector. We don’t believe let us set up new bureaucracy. Thank you very much.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Good afternoon, everyone.

Amina Ramallan: My name is Amina Ramalan. I work for the Nigerian Communications Commission. So I just want to speak, not from the angle of the commission, but from the angle of youth perspective in general. So at the beginning of the session, the Honorable Pam Sek, he spoke about the representation of youth. I think he said 65% of the population is 35 and below. However, majority of the conversation and I think some of the outcomes that the Honorable spoke about, I did not hear anything about action points that have to do with youth. So I just wanted to add two cents, just to say that we need to, 65% is actually a very high number. And for us to be able to get to the point that we want for a digital economy, we need to urge ourselves to integrate youth voices, to amplify youth voices, not just in decision making processes, but governance is going younger now. Governance is going younger. When we’re talking youth today, we’re not just talking 30, 20 years old in governance, they are making decisions, they are making differences, right? So we need to also… So, we need to look at how we can integrate, you know, integrating digital literacy into school curriculums. And then, the last point I want to make is we need to also look at Nigeria-specific solutions for Nigerian problems. So, some of the issues that we have can only be solved in-house, not by just, you know, burrowing best practices from out there. Thank you.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Thank you very much for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you in the next few days. Thank you very much.

Audience: Distinguished, you have already categorized me already. Okay, good afternoon, or good evening already. I’m standing on existing protocols. I’m a member of the board of trustees, and I’m the director of the NGO, which is a non-governmental organization. We’ve been talking about policies. For me, we don’t lack policies. I think we have a great ton of repository of policies. In fact, if we need any policy now, we can get one. But how best, what mechanisms are we actually putting in place to evaluate the policies, what we’re already putting out? Are they actually meeting our goals and expectations? And, you know, I think, you know, we have a lot of policies that have been implemented by the previous government last year, by the previous government. This year, how far has that gone? Blockchain technology is still novel. However, a lot of people do not still understand it, and we have a policy that’s there, and the policy is almost like it’s slipping. And even this year, NCC, I think we directed from NCC through ISPs, have actually blocked a lot of things. And the second one I would like to talk about is for the commissioner that is joining online. That is data privacy and all. Anything we’re talking about in this room, if it doesn’t reach the common man, then it doesn’t make any sense. And how far are we going with sensitization on data bridges within the country? So it’s not just about we here in this room. We’ll have other opportunities to talk about these things. The common man must benefit from whatever we are doing. Thank you.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Okay, thank you. I’ll just, because we have seven minutes to go, but I don’t want to shut down the youth. She’s been here, and then the last one over there. If you make it very brief. Thank you so much. I’ll buy you a dinner. Good evening, everyone. Standing on existing protocols. My challenge is with- Your name is, please?

Aisha Bashir Tukur: Sorry, my name is Aisha Bashir Tukur, and I’m from Federal Inland Revenue Services, but I’m here for my startup, actually. The world is becoming smarter every day, whether we like it or not. Children and everyone is exposed to internet. What are we doing on cyber policies or cyber security? Cyber security policies. We have cyber bullying. I mean, we have young children, age 13 and below, doing so much on the internet. How do we harness their talents to something reasonable from an early age? This is my biggest concern.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Thank you, Aisha. Cyber security, cyber bullying, cyber policy. And the last one. Good evening, everyone.

Audience: My name is Sinhwe Zamobilo. I’m a senior program officer with Pridem Initiative, a civil society with headquarters in Nigeria, but Africa focus. Because of time, I think my intervention is coming from the statement about inconsistency. And the speaker once said that it didn’t feel good with me when he said it’s like a norm. And we want Nigeria’s case to be different. Let’s see it as a challenge, that even if it is a norm elsewhere, it shouldn’t be a norm with us in Nigeria, that we have policy inconsistency. Then what Dr. Lufoye said about us meeting over this, I don’t feel good that we are having this conversation outside the soil of Nigeria. I am making a proposition that when we go home, like I said at the ministry, we have a repository of resources, both human, who play major roles on the global stage. And who should come home and do those things at home. So I am looking forward to hearing that we are calling for WSIS. Currently, we have started internally as an organization. We are part of the people making input into the one that they are doing in UNICA and the one they are doing at UN. But we are not hiring anything in Nigeria. So we are looking forward to that. And again, I am also making this call. Please, I want to appreciate the NDPC commissioner. One of the things I will appreciate him for is his openness and ease of access. And I’m judging our, when our honorable member said something, that they look for information to make laws concerning us. That didn’t sound well, too. Because we make efforts to get across to the policy makers so that these things can be attended to. I am making a request for ease of access to the legislators, to the ministries, and to the agencies, so that we can move Nigeria forward. Thank you so much.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: That sounded good to me, at least. Something sounded good to me. If everything didn’t sound good to you, something sounded good to me. So I think we’re going to end up, but before we end up, we’re going to have, oh, there’s a question online. What is the question? Can somebody read it? Can you read it? Do you have the question? Do you have the question? OK, so in order to save time. OK, you know what? We’re going to have one more minute. You can respond to any of the questions, and then you’re closing the talks. Let me start with the peers.

Panelist: OK, thank you very much, Distinguished. For lack of time, quickly, I want to agree with the Honorable Stanley. We have never had it good, really, as a sector, having engaged with the two senators and the two other senators. I can’t imagine us having this kind of quality of people with a massive understanding of the sector, and we cannot take advantage of that. So I think I totally agree with that point. Secondly, the issue that was raised also by a distinguished senator with regards to capacity building for the legislators. I think it’s absolutely important. Beyond the legislators, also even the judiciary, especially on the aspect of AI. And I can assure you that already we are thinking about something to do with that quickly. Now, coming back to the question by Dr. Also, I want to agree that we need to really create platforms where engagement, policy, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement will be done. The lady that spoke on literacy, digital literacy, I think we are doing a lot, honestly. There is a three million technical talent program going on. Lately, also, we jointly with NIDA and NYSE were able to launch the digital literacy for all. In Nigeria, I was there personally. So really, there is quite a lot of things. And different agencies of government at all levels are doing a lot of training. We can do much better. But I think a lot is being done. I could agree with the gentleman also that spoke about how can we deal with policy implementation, lack of aid, and so on. I also agree that we can do much better. But like I’ve said earlier, it’s the issue of institutions. We need to have strong institutions to be able to do that. Finally, on the issue of cybersecurity, I mean, the gentleman there was mentioning that we already have the Cybersecurity Act. I mean, there is a Cybersecurity Act of 2020, right? And there is a very new 2023 or so. So there are quite a few things. There is the lack of awareness claims. So people are missing a lot in terms of getting things done. I think we can go on with this conversation at a wider level. Thank you.

Niteabai Dominic: Thank you. In short, my contribution would be very simple. When we talk about engagement, let us engage. As a whole, trust deficits that we have. have with government. This is sincerely from the bottom of my heart. Civil society is saying let’s engage, but each time we call you, you don’t show up. That’s when we show up in your events. He’s a deliberate policy leader. Any time civil society holds an event, we do, because when we invite you, you don’t come. So let’s be sincere to ourselves. If you want to engage, let’s engage and not just look about it. We’ll meet them at the forum. Thank you, sir.

Benjamin Akinmoyeje: The youth, the old, the landed ones, and interestingly for us. Okay. Okay. Interestingly for us, we have all professionals as members of Internet Society. So if you have Internet Society participating in a particular event, that means that the youth, the old, the professionals, the engineers…

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Thank you, thank you. Dr. Fizet, you have a few seconds to say… Dr. Fizet?

Dr. Vincent Olatunji: Just to say that what is really important for us moving forward is collaboration. We all work together and pursue the same vision. Our voices are very robust. Let’s put in place a proper decision framework, a proper…

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Thank you. Madam Uchman?

Mary Uduma: Thank you. NIGF is there as a platform. Let’s converge there. Quarterly meeting? Carried. Quarterly meeting? Carried. Online participation. You can participate online. So go back to the PAMSEC and get that straightened up so that we can work on WSIS, work on Global Digital Compact.

Aditi Stanley-Olajide: Yeah, just one quick thing. We also at National Assembly, we’re also going to take a lead role on this to bring everybody together. Before everybody leave here today, leave your number. We’re also going to WhatsApp Line. We’re going to also work with the Ministry. We’re going to drive this and we’re all going to…

Engr. Kunle Olorundare: Thank you all for being here. Thank you for participating. Thank you for your time. It’s been such a very interesting engagement. And we’ll be working with the PAMSEC to ensure that some of these items, we act on them when we’re back home. God bless you. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria and safe trips back home. And please have a look for those that want to see me. And please, Sam, down below, down below, let’s take a picture.

Agreement Points

Need for multistakeholder approach in policy development

Engr. Kunle Olorundare

Panelist

Unknown speaker

Importance of multistakeholder approach including sub-nationals

Need for policy coherence and collaboration between agencies

Need for stronger institutions to support policy implementation

Multiple speakers emphasized the importance of involving various stakeholders, including sub-national entities and different agencies, in policy development and implementation to ensure effectiveness and coherence.

Importance of capacity building and awareness

Dr. Vincent Olatunji

Adedeji Stanley-Olajide

Amina Ramallan

Need for awareness on data protection rights and obligations

Need for capacity building of legislators on technology issues

Need for digital literacy initiatives, especially for youth

Several speakers highlighted the need for capacity building and awareness initiatives across different stakeholder groups, including legislators, youth, and the general public, to enhance understanding of digital issues and policies.

Similar Viewpoints

Both speakers acknowledged progress in internet access but emphasized the need for further investment in digital infrastructure, highlighting funding challenges as a key obstacle.

Panelist

Khadijah Sani

Progress in internet access but need for more infrastructure investment

Funding challenges for Universal Service Provision Fund

Both speakers emphasized the importance of addressing youth-specific concerns in digital policies, including their representation in decision-making and their safety online.

Amina Ramallan

Aishat Bashir Tukur

Need to integrate youth voices in decision-making processes

Importance of cybersecurity policies, especially for youth

Unexpected Consensus

Consistency in policy implementation across administrations

Panelist

Adedeji Stanley-Olajide

Need for policy coherence and collaboration between agencies

Importance of collaboration between agencies and legislators

Despite representing different branches of government, both speakers agreed on the need for consistency and collaboration in policy implementation, which is unexpected given typical tensions between executive agencies and legislators.

Overall Assessment

Summary

The main areas of agreement included the need for a multistakeholder approach in policy development, the importance of capacity building and awareness initiatives, the need for further investment in digital infrastructure, and the importance of addressing youth-specific concerns in digital policies.

Consensus level

There was a moderate level of consensus among the speakers on key issues, particularly on the need for collaboration and capacity building. This consensus suggests a shared understanding of the challenges facing Nigeria’s digital economy and could potentially lead to more coordinated efforts in policy development and implementation. However, some differences in perspective and emphasis were also evident, particularly regarding specific implementation strategies and priorities.

Different Viewpoints

Policy implementation challenges

Niteabai Dominic

Unknown speaker

Challenges in implementing policies due to overlapping mandates

Need for stronger institutions to support policy implementation

While Niteabai Dominic focuses on overlapping mandates as a key challenge in policy implementation, the unknown speaker emphasizes the need for stronger institutions. This suggests a difference in perspective on the root cause of implementation difficulties.

Unexpected Differences

Approach to policy development

Audience

Panelist

Importance of evaluating existing policies

Need for policy coherence and collaboration between agencies

While one might expect agreement on the need for both policy evaluation and coherence, the speakers unexpectedly focus on different aspects of policy development. The audience member emphasizes evaluation of existing policies, while the Panelist focuses on coherence and collaboration in developing new policies.

Overall Assessment

summary

The main areas of disagreement revolve around policy implementation challenges, approaches to inclusive decision-making, and priorities in infrastructure development and policy formulation.

difference_level

The level of disagreement among speakers appears to be moderate. While there are differences in focus and approach, there seems to be a general consensus on the importance of improving digital policies and infrastructure. These differences in perspective could potentially lead to more comprehensive and nuanced policy development if properly addressed and integrated.

Partial Agreements

Both speakers agree on the importance of inclusive decision-making, but while Engr. Kunle Olorundare emphasizes including sub-national entities, Amina Ramallan focuses specifically on integrating youth voices.

Engr. Kunle Olorundare

Amina Ramallan

Importance of multistakeholder approach including sub-nationals

Need to integrate youth voices in decision-making processes

Both speakers acknowledge the need for infrastructure investment, but they approach it from different angles. The Panelist focuses on overall progress and need, while Khadijah Sani specifically highlights funding challenges for the Universal Service Provision Fund.

Panelist

Khadijah Sani

Progress in internet access but need for more infrastructure investment

Funding challenges for Universal Service Provision Fund

Similar Viewpoints

Both speakers acknowledged progress in internet access but emphasized the need for further investment in digital infrastructure, highlighting funding challenges as a key obstacle.

Panelist

Khadijah Sani

Progress in internet access but need for more infrastructure investment

Funding challenges for Universal Service Provision Fund

Both speakers emphasized the importance of addressing youth-specific concerns in digital policies, including their representation in decision-making and their safety online.

Amina Ramallan

Aishat Bashir Tukur

Need to integrate youth voices in decision-making processes

Importance of cybersecurity policies, especially for youth

Key Takeaways

There is a need for greater policy coherence and collaboration between agencies in Nigeria’s digital sector

A multistakeholder approach, including sub-national entities, is crucial for effective policy development and implementation

Nigeria has made progress in digital access and infrastructure but still faces challenges in funding and implementation

Data protection and cybersecurity are growing concerns that require more awareness and robust policies

There is a significant opportunity to leverage Nigeria’s large youth population for digital economy growth

Capacity building for legislators on technology issues is essential for effective lawmaking in the digital sector

Resolutions and Action Items

Establish a quarterly meeting for stakeholders in the digital sector

Create a WhatsApp group for continued communication between stakeholders

The National Assembly to take a lead role in bringing stakeholders together

Explore organizing a Nigeria WSIS (World Summit on the Information Society) forum

Integrate digital literacy into school curriculums

Provide capacity building for legislators on technology issues

Unresolved Issues

How to effectively address overlapping mandates between agencies

Specific strategies for increasing funding for digital infrastructure projects

Detailed plans for improving cybersecurity, especially for youth

How to practically integrate youth voices into decision-making processes

Specific methods to evaluate and update existing policies

Suggested Compromises

Agencies to be more open to collaboration and sharing information with legislators

Civil society organizations to make greater efforts to attend government-organized events

Balancing Nigeria-specific solutions with learning from international best practices

Finding ways to harmonize different agency mandates without creating new bureaucracies

We never land good policies anywhere. Our major challenges have been the implementation, funding, infrastructure, and labor market.

speaker

Dr. Vincent Olatunji

reason

This comment cuts to the heart of Nigeria’s policy challenges, shifting focus from policy creation to implementation.

impact

It redirected the conversation towards practical challenges and solutions rather than just policy formulation.

For the first time in the history of the National Assembly, you have industry people chairing the committees in both the Senate and the House. And I don’t believe that you’re taking advantage of it.

speaker

Adedeji Stanley-Olajide

reason

This highlights a unique opportunity for collaboration between legislators and industry experts that is currently being underutilized.

impact

It sparked discussion about improving collaboration between government agencies and legislators to create more effective policies and laws.

65% is actually a very high number. And for us to be able to get to the point that we want for a digital economy, we need to urge ourselves to integrate youth voices, to amplify youth voices, not just in decision making processes, but governance is going younger now.

speaker

Amina Ramalan

reason

This comment brought attention to the demographic reality of Nigeria and the need to include youth perspectives in policymaking.

impact

It shifted the conversation to consider the role of youth in Nigeria’s digital future and policy-making processes.

How far are we going with sensitization on data bridges within the country? So it’s not just about we here in this room. We’ll have other opportunities to talk about these things. The common man must benefit from whatever we are doing.

speaker

Audience member

reason

This comment emphasized the importance of making policies and their benefits accessible to the general public.

impact

It broadened the discussion to include considerations of public awareness and the practical impact of policies on ordinary citizens.

Overall Assessment

These key comments shaped the discussion by shifting focus from theoretical policy formulation to practical implementation challenges, highlighting the need for better collaboration between industry experts and legislators, emphasizing the importance of including youth perspectives, and stressing the need to make policies accessible and beneficial to the general public. The discussion evolved from a high-level policy talk to a more grounded conversation about real-world impacts and inclusive policy-making processes.

How can we involve parliamentarians more in the Internet Governance Forum process?

speaker

Dr. D. S. Wariowei

explanation

Involving parliamentarians could lead to better representation and guidance in future IGF meetings.

How can we improve funding for the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) to better address digital divide issues?

speaker

Khadijah Sani

explanation

Increased funding could help expand connectivity to underserved areas and improve Nigeria’s ranking on digital divide indices.

How can we address the issue of mandate overlaps between agencies in the digital space?

speaker

Adedeji Stanley-Olajide

explanation

Resolving mandate overlaps could improve efficiency and reduce conflicts between agencies.

How can we improve policy coherence across different sectors (e.g., banking, health, transport) in relation to digital technologies?

speaker

Engr. Kunle Olorundare

explanation

Better policy coherence could lead to more effective implementation of digital initiatives across sectors.

How can we enhance capacity building for legislators to improve their understanding of technology and digital policy issues?

speaker

Engr. Kunle Olorundare

explanation

Improved knowledge among legislators could lead to better-informed policy-making and legislation.

How can we better integrate youth voices in decision-making processes related to digital policy?

speaker

Amina Ramallan

explanation

Given that 65% of Nigeria’s population is under 35, including youth perspectives is crucial for effective digital policy.

How can we develop more Nigeria-specific solutions for digital challenges?

speaker

Amina Ramallan

explanation

Tailored solutions could be more effective in addressing Nigeria’s unique digital ecosystem challenges.

What mechanisms can we put in place to better evaluate the effectiveness of existing policies?

speaker

Unnamed audience member

explanation

Regular evaluation could help improve policy implementation and outcomes.

How can we improve public sensitization on data privacy and breaches?

speaker

Unnamed audience member

explanation

Increased public awareness could lead to better data protection practices among citizens.

What policies can we develop to address cybersecurity and cyber bullying, especially for young internet users?

speaker

Aishat Bashir Tukur

explanation

Protecting young users and harnessing their talents safely is crucial as internet usage grows among youth.

How can we organize a Nigeria-specific WSIS (World Summit on the Information Society) forum?

speaker

Dr. Jimson Olufuye

explanation

A local WSIS forum could help address Nigeria-specific digital issues and align with global digital initiatives.