Nigerian delegation explores digital economy and youth empowerment at GIZ Ghana

A delegation from the Nigerian National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) paid a visit to GIZ Ghana’s Digital Transformation Center (DTC).

The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) provides training to high-level policy makers and executors in Nigeria.

The institute makes direct and regular contributions to the Nigerian National Policy process by initiating and evaluating various policy initiatives and strategies.

The Digital Transformation Center, Ghana is a cluster of digital economy projects implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The Digital Transformation Center is a local implementation partner of Ghana’s Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation (MoCD).

The visit, which focused on the theme, “Digital Economy, Youth Empowerment, and Sustainable Job Creation”, sought to encourage knowledge sharing between NIPSS and DTC Ghana on digital transformation, innovation and matters concerning policies in the digital ecosystem.

The two cohorts of the Nigerian National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Senior Executive Course were hosted by the Ministry of Communication and Digitalisation (MoCD) in Ghana after which they took time to visit the Digital Transformation Center, Ghana.

The delegation was led by Director of Administration at NIPSS, Mr. Suleiman Muhannad Kabir, and included government officials, technocrats, academics and civil society representatives from Nigeria. The delegation was well received by the Head of Project for DTC Ghana, David Robert and the DTC team.

Mr. Robert gave a comprehensive overview of activities the DTC project is executing, especially in the areas of digitalisation, women empowerment, innovation and policy work. The GIZ’s Invest for Jobs project shared a brief overview of its job creation efforts in collaboration with local partners.

This initiative is one of the key strategies by the German Development Corporation to support sustainable economic development in Ghana.

Presenting during the visit, Mr. Robert emphasized that “Digital transformation is an essential vehicle to a modern Africa. In Ghana, the DTC Project works with the Ministry and key partners to achieve this goal.”

The delegation expressed keen interest in some best practices adopted by DTC in ensuring the sustainability of its initiatives and projects. Other areas of interest were cross-border trade and ecommerce in relation to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement being implemented across Africa.

Further discussions centered on working with government and policy makers within the digital ecosystem. This was done, highlighting the importance of continuously engaging policy structures in making informed decisions when executing development-oriented projects within the sub-region.

The visit concluded with the delegation expressing their gratitude for the opportunity to have learnt form the project and a promised to reflect on these insights back in Nigeria. The Digital Transformation Center, Ghana is commitment to building an inclusive digital society for all.