Nigeria’s Minister of Communications and Technology Omobola Johnson
has inked a new deal with Cross Rivers state government to increase the
state’s information and technology infrastructure as well as to create a
knowledge city, the ministry said in a press release.
At the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between NITDA and
the Cross Rivers state government, she said that it should help “boost
IT and telecom in rural areas and give this state the infrastructure
needed to achieve its goals.”
According to her, the MoU marked a milestone in the efforts to
develop a “vibrant software development industry that would serve the
Nigerian and international market.”
Johnson reiterated that upon completion of the Knowledge City, it is
“expected to incubate and foster spin off and start-up ICT firms and
help to commercialise academic research in ICTs; facilitate the growth
of small and medium scale ICT businesses through creative fiscal
incentives and support programmes; create a pool of ICT skills and
competencies that can be deployed well beyond the state; attract inward
investments from more established national and international
companies/mature technology businesses by offering world class scalable
physical facilities and proximity to a vibrant ICT.”
IT expert and consultant with Cross Rivers Jonathan Unbialo said that
“boosting Nigerian rural areas has to be a key move for the country
this year because it can be a massive influx for investment and telecom
penetration.”
