The Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy in line with the Ministry’s National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for the development and promotion of Digital Economy and growth in Nigeria on Monday, formally commenced the implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding with Huawei Technologies (Nigeria) Limited.

The MoU aims at promoting the partnership between the Ministry of Communication and Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. to establish two core ICT projects in Nigeria, the Huawei ICT Academy Project and the Huawei ICT Talent Cultivation Project. 

The Honorable Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami speaking at the kick off event which held at Fraser Suites, Abuja, commended the efforts of Huawei, particularly in its CSR programs. 

“The Nigerian government is thankful to Huawei looking at how the country has benefited in the CSR programs,” he said, requesting that “Huawei establishes a global training center in Nigeria to train Nigerians and other African countries on ICT”. 

He added that the President of Nigeria, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari GCFR appreciates Huawei work and has encouraged Huawei to do more on Nigerian soil since Nigeria is the largest and biggest market in Africa. 

This partnership will enable the development of not less than 300 ICT Academies in top universities, polytechnics and Colleges of Education in Nigeria. Not less than 10,000 university students from reputable universities - on the recommendation of the Ministry - will be trained each year with a total of 30,000 students in 3 years. This would include trainings, competition and other activities incidental to the operation of the ICT Academy.  

The establishment of this projects is a roadmap for the future which will help enhance the ICT ecosystem and improve the ICT technical infrastructure so as to attain sound digital economy in Nigeria. Most importantly, Huawei will provide its latest technology and help curb the rate of unemployment In Nigeria by providing jobs, experience opportunities and ICT certifications to students each year so as to increase their job market competitiveness. 

The Managing Director of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd, Mr. Trevor Liu, thanked the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Honorable Minister, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, for giving Huawei  the enabling environment to operate and touch many lives in Nigeria. He said this has been done through many initiatives to which the Honorable Minister has been a key driver. 

“The Honorable Minister as a key stakeholder, has through his office, designed and deployed many notable Initiatives in enhancing the National Digital transformation in Nigeria, such as the very Popular ICT Park, Digital Nigeria, and E-government Initiatives. He has shown over and over again that his heart is in changing the narrative on the ICT ecosystem in Nigeria, to which we shall applaud for his efforts. 

“To ensure the smooth running of the project a joint working team would be set up for the purpose of organizing, preparing and executing the project. 

“Our vision and mission in Huawei has been to bring digital to every person, home, and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. Huawei has pushed this vision through many channels one of which is our four major ICT Talent cultivation initiatives, The Seeds for the Future Program, Huawei ICT Academy, Huawei ICT Competition, and The Job Fair. This is because we strongly believe that Digital Transformation is about Talents, and not all about Technology”

He appreciated the Minister for “identifying and seeing the need for Talent cultivation and development, and for also seeing Huawei Technologies as a Partner to work with in actualizing this goal.”

The Minister also highlighted that the Administration has provided an enabling environment for international companies to invest and do business in Nigeria. 

“The administration has come up with 36 initiatives to ease doing business in Nigeria. An executive order was signed to address the challenges faced by International companies to provide accountability, transparency, e-govt, tax holiday, visa on arrival etc. which has moved Nigeria higher in the global of ease of doing business index. 

The Minister said he hoped that after the implantation of the MoU, more than 100,000 Nigerians would benefit from the initiative beyond the agreement. The skills gained by the student will enable them become entrepreneurs in the near future. 

The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Cui Jianchun, who was also present at the event, expressed delight to witness the initiative. 

“The Chinese embassy would continue to support the corporation to make a difference”, he said. “We would sustain this initiative and ensure the Universities, the Minister and the students testify to the initiative”. He projected a symphony between China and Nigerian government which will promote the digital economy harmony.   

Brig. Gen. SS Ibrahim, The Registrar, Nigerian Army University, Biu, in his speech at the event stated that “the cooperation between Huawei and the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy is good for the country in human capacity development in the area of ICT. The Nigerian Army University has decided to follow suit in ICT and partner with telecoms giant in order to fortify the students with the latest technology. I want to acknowledge and appreciate the Minister for being productive in developing the ICT sector and the management of Huawei for taking the bold step in the Nigerian ICT Sector”, he said.