Isa Pantami, minister of communications and digital economy, says the federal government is planning to establish emerging technology centres across the country.

Pantami said this during a keynote address at the digital Africa annual conference on Tuesday.

Pantami who addressed the conference virtually stated that this year’s theme; Building New Africa with AI and Blockchain come at a better time, considering the efforts of the government to boost emerging technologies in Nigeria.

“The seventh pillar of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) focuses exclusively on developing emerging technologies among the populace.

Also Read: Chaka Becomes The First To Receive SEC License For Digital Stock Trading In Nigeria

“One of the ways of achieving this has been through the establishment of the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) and two virtual institutions currently building capacities in Artificial Intelligence, (AI) Blockchain technology, Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud Computing, Robotics and various other related fields.
“The development of a National Policy on Emerging Technologies, as part of NDEPS, which will further support the establishment of Emerging Technology Centres in Nigeria is underway,” the Minister said.

Pantami further said emerging technologies have the potential for world domination, adding that Nigeria aims to take advantage of its vast potential to become a leading nation in Africa.

In 2018, the federal government announced that it had concluded plans to establish centres for acquisition of technology in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.

That same year, the federal government inaugurated 42 technology transfer centres in order to encourage market-oriented research across the country.