Bola Tinubu and his plans for Nigeria’s tech ecosystem

At 4am on Wednesday, Bola Ahmed Tinubu was introduced as Nigeria’s President-elect. Whereas questions continue over the legitimacy of the elections, it’s value reviewing Tinubu’s plans for the know-how sector. It would tell us what to anticipate if his electoral victory stands.

In October 2022, the previous two-time governor of Lagos State launched an 80-page manifesto. His manifesto, which was introduced by Future Africa founder Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, at a business summit in Lagos, has a devoted part on the tech ecosystem titled The Digital Economy: Taking Advantage of The Fourth Industrial Revolution [pdf]. It additionally focuses on seven areas reminiscent of service provision and outsourcing, manufacturing, e-commerce, and blockchain. 

A part of that part says, “A Tinubu administration will try to create a million new jobs within the ICT sector inside its first 24 months [by deploying] new applied sciences that may fast-track enterprise progress and diversification.” Whereas this would possibly sound spectacular, the query is, how?

Tinubu’s manifesto talks about implementing “insurance policies that can practice and construct capability amongst Nigeria’s giant and youthful inhabitants” that can allow them to supply outsourcing companies simply as India has performed. Nonetheless, the query of infrastructure and who offers the entry to coaching—non-public entities or the federal government—is left unanswered.

Authorities insurance policies have made some startups within the nation change their enterprise mannequin over time, reminiscent of how Lagos state curtailed the enterprise of bike-hailing startups. The manifesto didn’t specific how it will associate with states to make sure that its insurance policies aren’t simply federal, however statewide.

One other business in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem that the Tinubu manifesto guarantees to develop is the e-commerce sector; by upgrading the transportation infrastructure within the nation, which might profit the business. It nevertheless didn’t embrace the way it plans to sort out exterior elements that problem the in depth adoption of e-commerce in Nigeria. 

The manifesto additionally states that the administration would champion tech manufacturing because it “presents one other necessary alternative for job creation in Nigeria”, including that the importation of smartphones, which prices the nation thousands and thousands of {dollars}, can be substituted with “native meeting introduced by the tech manufacturing sector”. Contemplating that Nigeria’s manufacturing production increased by 9.40 per cent in June 2022 over the identical month within the earlier yr, whereas industrial production fell 10.5 per cent YoY in September 2022, following a drop of three.6 % YoY within the earlier quarter, tech manufacturing may be a recreation changer. 

However this may very well be decided by the implementation of its broadband availability plan, a promise introduced ahead from one of many outgoing administration’s insurance policies to make sure that the national broadband plan [pdf] delivers “broadband companies to 90 per cent of the inhabitants” by 2025. Nonetheless, it doesn’t deal with how it will guarantee it’s inexpensive for the on a regular basis particular person, as Nigerians reportedly pay more for internet data in comparison with their African counterparts.

A departure from the insurance policies of the Buhari administration, the Tinubu manifesto guarantees to “encourage the prudent use of blockchain know-how in finance and banking, identification administration, income assortment and the usage of crypto property.” 

“As a part of our reforms, we’ll set up an advisory committee to assessment the present regulatory atmosphere governing blockchain know-how and digital asset companies and, the place mandatory, counsel adjustments create a extra environment friendly and business-friendly regulatory framework. We will even encourage the CBN to develop the usage of our digital forex, the eNaira.”

In June 2022, the Nigerian Change Restricted introduced that it will adopt blockchain technology to settle trade throughout its platform in 2023. Whereas authorities interference within the blockchain house has been minimal, the National Blockchain Adoption Strategy [pdf], developed by the Nationwide Info Expertise Growth Company (NITDA) in 2020, offers a pathway to the adoption of blockchain know-how in Nigeria. 

Tinibu’s manifesto looks like what the Nigerian tech ecosystem wants and is believable, on paper; there appears to be a lapse within the understanding of the house and the way it may also help enhance the nation’s economic system. It’s also gentle on the small print of the way it plans to completely embrace an inclusive digital economic system. Whereas a few of these plans could spur employment progress, implementation, time, and scale might have an effect on the eventual final result. All that is left to be seen.