Reps ICT C’ttee chair, Olajide, stresses urgent need to bridge Africa’s technology divide

Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Digital, Information Communication Technology, and Cyber-Security, Honourable Adedeji Dikhrullahi Olajide, has emphasised the urgent need to close the technology divide between Africa and the rest of the world.

Addressing a roundtable Big Data Expo on the sidelines of the ongoing seminar on cybersecurity for Belt and Road countries in Shanghai, China, Honourable Olajide stressed that the technology gap between regions has significant implications for global economic development, innovation, and cybersecurity.

He revealed that Africa has made remarkable progress in recent years, with a surge in mobile penetration, internet adoption, and digital innovation, but however lamented that the continent still lags behind in critical areas such as infrastructure development, digital literacy, and access to cutting-edge technologies.”

While proffering solutions to the limitations to bridge this divide, Hon. Olajide, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Tolu Mustapha, proposed a multifaceted approach, focussing on investing in robust digital infrastructure, including broadband connectivity, data centres, and network security.

Prioritising education and training programmes in coding, data analysis, cybersecurity and emerging technologies; supporting innovation hubs, incubators and accelerators to foster a vibrant startup ecosystem.

Investing in threat intelligence, incident response, and digital forensic capabilities and fostering partnerships between government, private sector stakeholders, and international organisations to promote knowledge sharing, technology transfer, and joint research initiatives as ways through which the digital divide between Africa and other global technology worlds can be bridged.

The PDP lawmaker, who is serving a second term in the lower house of the National Assembly, further emphasised that closing the technology divide is not only a moral imperative but also an economic and strategic one, with far-reaching benefits for global economic growth, innovation and cybersecurity, as Africa’s digital economy is expected to grow by 15% annually for the next decade, with the continent having over 400 innovation hubs, with Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt leading the pack, and also mitigating the economic loss on cybersecurity threats which cost Africa’s economy over $2 billion annually.

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