China’s global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider Huawei and the Nigerian government signed an agreement on Thursday, Dec. 10, to create Information Communication Technology (ICT) hubs across the country, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
The report said that Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo signed the agreement at the State House in Abuja, Nigeria's capital city, which the Chinese company sees as an opportunity to improve on its technology transfer to Nigeria.
"We are looking at developing existing hubs and to see how we can empower those who are already working in the various ICT hubs," Osinbajo said.
According to Osinbajo, some of the country's ICT organizations have already developed into a "Silicon Valley" in Yaba, Lagos, and many people are engaged in programming and developing applications.
The report said that the government plans to expand the scope of technology and to advance ICT by incubating the startups set up by young people.
The vice president said that the development of ICT would provide people with opportunity to get quick and decent jobs that will enhance their lives and the economy.
The Nigerian official also praised the Chinese company for partnering with the government and assured that they will work with Huawei to attain success.
The vice president said that the move was aimed to create an opportunity to ease business for entrepreneurs, adding that it would raise the country's rank in the business index by opening up the market.
The report said that the government would also encourage the selling of products including their local manufacture to enable the large population in the country to move up to the middle class.
Osinbajo commended the women who qualified to go to China for ICT training, adding that the objective of the administration is to advance the girl-child education and women in business that form a large part of the population.
The official commended Huawei Technologies for helping to advance technology development globally, noting that knowledge was the key "and only the knowledge society will succeed."