The Federal Government has through the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy signed a $13m deal with the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for the building of a foundation towards Digital Governance in Nigeria.
The South Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency, Kim Young – Chae and the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami sealed the deal at a brief ceremony of Cooperation between the two countries, which was held at the South Korean Embassy in Abuja on Thursday.
At the ceremony, the Korean Ambassador commended the supervisory leadership of the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, over Nigeria’s ICT sector, noting that in the last 2 years, the ICT sector has consecutively been the fastest-growing sector in Nigeria.
Ambassador Kim Young – Chae who urged the Minister to maintain the tempo in ensuring ICT contributes more to National Development in Nigeria, informed that the Korean Government is willing to share its experience and expertise with the Nigerian Government.
Responding, Dr. Pantami expressed appreciation to the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for the kind gesture.
“The Republic of Korea through KOICA is the number 1 country supporting Nigeria in the area of eGovernance,” Pantami said, adding that “The support Nigeria has received from the Republic of Korea cannot be matched by any other Nation.”
Pantami disclosed that over 1000 civil servants from Nigeria have been trained on eGovernance in the world-class eGovernment training centre located in Abuja, which was built and donated to the Nigerian government by the Korea Republic as part of Phase 1 of the eGovernance cooperation signed in the year 2013.
The Minister hailed the achievement of the Korean Government in the area of Government Digital Service, highlighting that Nigeria could adopt a similar model.
Recall that in 2013, the then Federal Ministry of Communication Technology and KOICA signed Phase 1 of the agreement that cost $8.5M. Phase 2 is projected to gulp another $13M, and the funds are mostly donated by the Republic of Korea through KOICA.
