Pantami leads WSIS forum in Geneva, urges multi-stakeholder engagements for global prosperity

*Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, Nigeria’s Honourable Minister for Communications and Digital Economy, solicits more support for technological development through multi-stakeholders’ engagements and collaborations among institutions, economies for global economic prosperity and development

Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect

Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, Honourable Minister for Communications and Digital Economy, has recommended the setting up of a high-level multi-stakeholders’ advisory council.

ConsumerConnect reports Prof. Pantami stated this Tuesday, May 31, 2022, when he formally chaired the ongoing the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

ITU Headquarters in Geneva

Mrs. Uwa Suleiman, Spokesperson to the Minister, in a statement said the Minister for Communications and Digital Economy led global economies converging on the headquarters of the ITU to declare the high-level policy sessions open.

Pantami while addressing participants from over 100 countries of the world, leveraged this year’s theme.

The 2022 theme: “ICTs for well-being, Inclusion and Resilience; WSIS Cooperation for Accelerating Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals”.

This year’s WSIS Forum commenced virtually March 15 with the final week being held physically with enhanced remote participation from May 30 to June 3.

Mrs. Suleiman also stated Pantami solicited more support for technological development through multi-stakeholders’ engagements, partnerships and collaborations among institutions and global economies.

The statement further said this was the enabling tool for global economic prosperity and development.

“There is a need for this forum to constitute a high level multi-stakeholders advisory council.

“And a multi-stakeholders’ implementation committee to ensure that we continue to track and monitor outcomes and engagements post event,” stated he.

The Minister as well said: “Today, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is no longer a choice but a necessity as the world has come to realise particularly during the pandemic.

“As technology enabled us to continue with our activities and especially the business of governance virtually.”

Using Nigeria as a case study, Pantami disclosed that the West African country exited the recession brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic a year earlier than predicted, ahead of several other countries in spite of global projections.

According to him, the feat was largely due to the influence of technologies, adding that available statistics further provided proof that ICT played a principal role in achieving the feat.

According to Pantami, in the last quarter of 2020, the Nigerian ICT Sector grew by 14.70 percent and 12.90 percent for the whole year.

“The sector continues to make quantum leaps as we take advantage of resources at our disposal to enable economic development.

“Nigeria’s youthful population with an average age of 18.3 years, coupled with the advantage of having the largest economy on the African continent, positions it strategically to explore digital technologies for optimal growth,” he said.

The 2022 WSIS forum consists of 11 high-level panel discussions with globally recognised sector experts, policy makers, heads of governments, corporations and civil society organisations.

The forum represents the world’s largest annual gathering of the ICTs for development community.