Federal Government on Thursday met with a wide range of stakeholders in Lagos to deliberate on the upcoming Digital Economy and e-Governance Bill.
This consultation was one in a series of strategic sessions aimed at developing a comprehensive legal framework that will underpin Nigeria’s growing digital economy.
This Lagos meeting followed similar gatherings across various states as part of a nationwide effort to gather feedback and insights from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, highlighted the significance of this approach, underscoring the government’s commitment to hearing from a wide range of voices.
“After starting with a few states in the last couple of weeks, we were in Lagos today and will be in Kano, Cross River, Kaduna, Ogun, and Abia next week,” Tijani noted, as he outlined the broad geographic reach of the consultation process.
Addressing attendees in Lagos, Tijani emphasized the importance of inclusive stakeholder engagement to shape impactful legislation for the digital sector.
“With no current overarching law to back the digital economy in Nigeria, we are keen to collectively craft legislation that can help accelerate the growth of the sector,” he said, stressing the need for a legal backbone to support the country’s digital aspirations.
The proposed bill seeks to enhance Nigeria’s digital infrastructure by improving data interoperability, expanding private sector access to government data, and elevating the quality of digital services provided to citizens.
This legal framework is envisioned to empower government bodies to deliver more efficient services while simultaneously opening new avenues for private companies to thrive.
“If we can collectively craft a piece of legislation that can help us accelerate the growth of this sector, you can imagine where we will be. So much is possible,” Tijani added, underlining the transformative potential of this legislation for Nigeria’s digital economy.
The consultations, funded by the World Bank, aim to gather a comprehensive understanding of the needs across Nigeria’s digital landscape.
By incorporating feedback from key representatives in each state, the government hopes to craft a bill that resonates with the diverse interests and priorities of Nigeria’s digital community.
Highlighting the legislative support behind the bill, Tijani acknowledged the active collaboration of the National Assembly.
Both the Chair of the Senate Committee on ICT & Cybersecurity, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, and the Chair of the House Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Adedeji Olajide, have been integral to this process, working closely with the Ministry to ensure inclusivity.
“This process of bringing stakeholders together to get proper feedback on the bill is critical,” Tijani said, emphasizing that comprehensive input from all sectors is essential to create a robust legal framework that will advance Nigeria’s position in the digital world.
