The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, says that the ministry has inaugurated no fewer than 1,667 Information Communications Technology (ICT) centres across the country.

He also said that more than 455 other projects were ongoing in different parts of the country.

Pantami disclosed this when he featured on a special interview session, Forum, organised by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

He said that the ministry had developed 16 policies within two years, geared toward supporting the digital economy sector in the country.

He noted that there was no single state that a minimum of one class ICT park had not been established from the day he assumed office as a minister to date.

According to him, the National ICT Park is under the ministry, it has its own role and National Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre (NDIEC) is a policy developed to support ICT infrastructure.

“Part of the implementation of the Policy is largely by National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and also it will provide office space for some of their activities.

“I want to confirm to you that there is no single state from the date I became a minister to date that we have not established a minimum of one class ICT park.

“I have already commissioned one in 2020 in Lagos State University.

“We have already built an ICT park in Lagos University, this is one out of many.

We have also provided the same intervention in the same zone in other institutions.

“I personally commissioned the same ICT park in University of Port Harcourt. I travelled to Port Harcourt to commission it physically.”

On the issue of training, the Minister said that the ministry and its agencies had so far trained a total number of 219,198 citizens.

He explained that this was besides the training taking place at the 1,667 centres, adding that most of the trainings were advanced skills not basic skills.

“Within two  years, we have trained 219, 198 citizens and most of them are advanced skills not basic skills; in this I have not included the training taking place at the 1,667 centres.

“These are ICT centres and projects combined together.

“The benefits of creating these ICT parks are many, we have job creation, providing digital skills and many more,” Pantami said.

NAN