Ali Isa Pantami, minister of Communications and Digital Economy, led the Nigerian delegates to the LEAP Tech Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where the country secured a partnership with the kingdom on the Digital Cooperation Organisation Startup Passport initiative. He also met with potential investors who are considering investments in the Nigerian tech ecosystem. In this interview with BusinessDay’s Frank Eleanya who is also attending the event in Saudi Arabia, Pantami disclosed milestones Nigeria has made with the National Identification Number (NIN) exercise and how his ministry is collaborating with security agencies in the country to tackle insecurity.
What is the takeaway for Nigeria from this conference?
When comparing the success recorded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia compared to other nations, the key takeaway is that we should avoid the word ‘impossible’. Let us be optimistic. Any plan we have of transforming our country Nigeria, of making things better, we should be very optimistic and avoid using the word ‘impossible’.
Whoever comes to Saudi for the first time or the second time and sees the transformation going on particularly in the digital economy sector will appreciate what they have been doing. They have been very proactive. You cannot only say they are advanced but they are being proactive in establishing an institution or standing process before the need arises.
Secondly, our coming here also allows us to get in touch with potential investors. We have a series of meetings that accommodate all the members of the ministerial delegation here on how to come to Nigeria and invest. Some of the tech giants globally are willing to come to Nigeria and establish their manufacturing plants as the case may be.
So these are a number of takeaways because we have so many advantages that no one can deny. We have the biggest economy in Africa. We are the most populous in Africa and the seventh most populous globally. Our economy is doing well now, particularly, if you look at the way we exited recession leaving behind many developed countries.
These are some of the statistics that are encouraging and any potential investor wants to hear something like this. There could be one or two observations they have against our country. Some of them we will take back because the global regulation today is the developmental regulation.
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In such a situation where economic development is threatened by insecurity, we have to compromise our economic development in order to protect and safeguard our country
Thirdly, some countries have also indicated interest to come and see how our digital economy is being developed. It has become a model today in Africa. When I came here, the first meeting we had they were surprised that today in Nigeria we have six successful unicorns and many are still coming. The fastest-growing sector in our country is the digital economy sector. Mr. President has said so many times that it is the sector that led the principal growth in exiting Nigeria from recession. These are encouraging statistics we share with them because some of them we have also learnt from their model because there is no monopoly of wisdom and knowledge. You share your experience with others, they get their takeaways. They share their own with you and you get your takeaway.
What is the role of Nigeria in the DCO collaboration?
The Digital Cooperation Organisation (DCO) has been very supportive of Nigeria. We are among the major beneficiaries of DCO. The DCO gave us a slot for free, Pavillion for free, startups in many areas for our support. They (startups) came here to display their products. The DCO is willing to listen to what they have been doing and see what they can do to support. That is part of plans to establish a world-class digital hub in Riyadh. Part of our discussion with them is whatever Nigeria needs from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia particularly from the digital economy sector, it is there available for us. This is indeed very encouraging because they are more economically stronger than us looking at the GDP per capita compared to our GDP per capita. We have many things to benefit from them and they are willing to offer for free.
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How do you access the NIN to SIM linkage exercise in Nigeria?
To be fair with you, one of the most difficult things to do is to access yourself. But, I will not access myself but I will access NIMC because my role is just to supervise, they implement.
Looking at the circumstances we have found NIMC, based on my assessment as their supervisor, they have done incredibly well. No doubt about that, despite infrastructure challenges, and salary too is a challenge, welfare is also a challenge, and many more. Mr. President has approved many things for NIMC but because of our economic and fiscal challenges, all these things have not been implemented; the approval is there, but no money. The government is seriously struggling to pay salaries.
So, if you look at the circumstances, NIMC is doing very well. Before my coming, what NIMC captured was just about 40 million, but now over 73 million. We have achieved over 30 million within one year, while 40 million was achieved from 2007 to 2020.
Secondly about NIN-SIM registration, the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy and NIMC are not security institutions. We are a sector for economic development but we came up with the policy, firstly, as officials of the government, which has a priority of security.
When I became a minister, I gathered all stakeholders and I told them that our sector is for economic development, but since our constitutional responsibility is security and our boss’s priority is security, let us see how we can reconcile economic development with security so that we would develop the economy without compromising the security of the country.
In such a situation where economic development is threatened by insecurity, we have to compromise our economic development in order to protect and safeguard our country. If the economy is not secured, the economy will not prosper. We came up with this policy in order to ensure each and every person who lives in Nigeria, either as a citizen or legal resident, his or her identity would be known, that is why we came up with the policy.
I was in the Federal Executive Council meeting last week making a presentation and this same question was also asked. I said to them, this is what we have been doing for security. The EVC of NCC was next to me, just like now and I asked him if there was any time that any security operatives contacted you to ask for details so as to be able to apprehend criminals, he said, “No Sir, it has never happened” since I became a minister.
Secondly, in the last six months, have they ever contacted you to provide any information, he said no. So, in the last six months, nobody has ever contacted us. The law doesn’t allow me as minister to go when somebody is kidnapped, and say provide me his number. That is never allowed. The database is confidential, you cannot have access to it, except if it is legal and the legality should be security-based.
For example, if somebody is kidnapped, we don’t have any legal power to go and access the database. Let’s assume it is your friend, what you should do is report to security operatives, police, DSS, or any other. They will immediately formalise that to NCC, operators, or the Ministry that they need particular biodata. It is there because of their request after establishing a prima facie case of it. That letter will give the institution the power to have access to the database. Even that one for only that purpose. So, our work doesn’t allow that when somebody is kidnapped, we should go and trace the number from the database. Our work is only to provide a platform for them where they can get the information they need so that they can make their work much easier. As a minister, since the time we started sanitising the database, no single person who has the legal power to ask for biodata or any information with regards to SIM that I have failed to provide. It has never happened.
Secondly, some of the security institutions, based on Cybercrime law, are allowed to get access to the database without coming to us because that database allows for Lawful Interception. That Lawful Intercept was allowed in order to support our security agents. Mr. President has approved for them to do it without even our intervention. So, with that approval, NCC has conveyed through my office to all relevant institutions that Mr. President has granted approval for that.
With it, they can get a database even without our permission. However, they have never complained to me even for once.
What is the latest development on the Nigerian Startup Bill?
We are done with the Startup Bill in the Federal Executive Council (FEC). It has been approved. I personally spoke with the Attorney General. After the FEC meeting, I conveyed a letter to him that FEC has approved the bill, even though he is a member. But this is the process. He has said to me that the bill has been conveyed to the National Assembly, it is now up to the NASS to start their proceedings on the bill. But we are optimistic and very committed that the bill is going to be approved by this administration so that we can start the implementation immediately.
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