The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, has continued consultations and increased awareness and stakeholders’ engagement on the Digital Economy and e-Governance Bill across the country.

The minister’s Media and Communications Aide, Isime Esene, made this known in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

Mr Esene said that consultations had already been held in Niger, Ondo, Katsina, Lagos, Zamfara, Delta, and Nasarawa states.

He said the stakeholder engagement exercise would see the bill taken across all 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

He said that the National Digital Economy and e-Governance Bill was jointly sponsored by two lawmakers, Senator Shuaib Salisu and Rep. Adedeji Olajide.

According to Mr Esene, the bill is poised to be the most comprehensive piece of legislation guiding the transformation of Nigeria’s digital economy.

He said, “The bill will enhance the use of digital technology to grow Nigeria’s economy and provide a legal framework to support international digital trade and investments using digital means. It will also encourage and improve service delivery, openness, and accountability for the delivery of public or citizen digital services.’’.

Meanwhile, in his remarks at the stakeholder engagement, the minister highlighted the importance of technology and innovation in enhancing national productivity.

Mr Tijani urged the stakeholders to ensure that they contributed meaningfully towards making the bill robust legislation.

“There is no overarching law to back our digital economy in Nigeria. If we can collectively craft a piece of legislation that can help us accelerate the growth of this sector, imagine where we will be. It is important to bring people together to get proper feedback. When you leave here, beyond your contributions today, make sure you share with stakeholders within your network why we must all contribute to making this a holistic legislation,” he said.

On his part, Mr Salisu outlined reasons why participants at the session should attach significance to the stakeholder engagement.

“This is the first time a bill has been taken across all six geopolitical zones in Nigeria to ensure that the legislation that emerges reflects the realities, yearnings, and aspirations of the Nigerians. This bill will be the most profound one in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration because it has the potential to influence the way we work, live, and interact with one another,” he said.

He urged citizens to approach it with optimism and constructive engagement for the bill to succeed.

Also, Mr Olajide solicited the support of citizens as they worked towards passing the bill.

He restated his determination that the end result of the exercise would reflect the broad expectations of the people.

The report noted that the nationwide engagement was supported by the World Bank Group’s Identification for Development Initiative.

The engagement, which commenced on October 29, is scheduled to stop next in Kano, Cross River, Kaduna, Ogun, and Abia states.

(NAN)