The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said achieving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s $1 trillion economy target will depend largely on ensuring that individuals and sectors across the country are fully integrated into the digital economy.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr Aminu Maida, made the assertion at the conclusion of the fourth edition of the NCC Hackathon Live Show held on Thursday in Abuja.
Maida, who was represented at the event by the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Rimini Makama, said Nigeria could not achieve sustainable economic growth if significant segments of the population remained excluded from digital technologies and services.
According to the NCC boss, digital inclusion must remain central to Nigeria’s economic transformation, particularly as technology continues to shape education, employment, financial services, healthcare and other areas of everyday life.
He noted that persons with disabilities (PWDs) are among those who face significant barriers in accessing digital technologies and services, leaving many at risk of exclusion from critical opportunities.
“For persons with disabilities, barriers to accessing digital technologies and services can mean exclusion not just from connectivity but from education, employment, financial services, healthcare and participation in society,” Maida said.
He stressed that Nigeria was at a critical point in its development as the government works towards building a resilient and diversified $1 trillion economy.
“As we work to build a resilient and diversified one trillion-dollar economy, we must recognise that true national progress is impossible if some of our citizens remain locked out,” he said.
Maida described the hackathon as part of the commission’s efforts to promote innovation and develop solutions that address the challenges faced by people with disabilities.
He said the initiative was designed to harness local talent and technology to ensure that no citizen is left behind in Nigeria’s digital transformation.
The NCC executive vice chairman identified several barriers affecting the digital experiences of persons with disabilities, including platforms that were not designed with accessibility in mind, inadequate digital skills, high costs and limited access to assistive technologies.
He also raised concerns about the increasing migration of essential services to digital platforms without sufficient consideration for people who may struggle to access them.
“There are digital platforms that were never designed with accessibility in mind. There are gaps in digital skills and high costs with limited availability of assistive technologies, and essential services that are increasingly moving online without always considering whether everyone can access them,” he said.
According to him, addressing these challenges is essential to ensuring that Nigeria’s digital transformation translates into broad-based economic development.
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Maida said the NCC wants Nigeria to move beyond dependence on imported software by supporting the development of home-grown technological solutions.
“We believe that true national growth cannot occur while millions remain digitally excluded,” he said.
He added that the hackathon represented an opportunity to transform Nigeria from a consumer of foreign software into a country capable of producing locally engineered assistive technologies that meet the needs of its citizens.
The NCC said initiatives such as the hackathon could help promote innovation, improve accessibility and expand participation in the digital economy.
For Nigeria to realise its $1 trillion economic ambition, the commission maintained that digital transformation must be inclusive, with technology accessible to people across different sectors and abilities.
