Nigeria
UNSPLASH

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Prof. Isa Pantami disclosed Nigeria's plans to create three more unicorns by the end of 2023.

Out of the seven unicorns from Africa, Nigeria presently has five, according to Pantami, who announced this Monday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the second General Assembly of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) and the ongoing LEAP tech conference.

He asserts that the nation is looking for skilled individuals who would emerge as job creators, in line with the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy's current paradigm shift policy.

According to Pantami, the administration of President Buhari is currently working on 161 initiatives to make it easier for everyone to conduct business in Nigeria. Multiple taxes are just one of the barriers the administration is getting rid of. Nonetheless, seed finance and intellectual property protection are given priority by the government.

"The Nigerian Start-up Act is another important legislation, which the country is also banking on to develop the start-up ecosystem. Though we have five of the seven unicorns in Africa from Nigeria, by the end of the year, we hope to have an additional three by supporting the growth of start-ups in the country by all means possible," he said, as per Guardian.

Meanwhile, at its second annual general session in Riyadh, the Digital Cooperation Organization urged for international collaboration to close the technological gap.

The organization also released its 2030 road map, Business Day Reported.

The plan envisions an ambitious future in which the global digital economy generates 30 million jobs and accounts for 30 percent of the world's gross domestic product.

"We can unlock the full growth potential of the global digital economy. We aspire to achieve '30 by 30', an ambitious future where the digital economy could contribute 30 percent of the global GDP and create 30 million jobs by 2030. This endeavor demands the collective effort of all stakeholders in the digital economy, to attain the digital prosperity we aspire to," said the Secretary-General of DCO, Deemah AlYahya.

The plan is intended to advance shared interests, push for advanced cooperation, create business environments and regulatory frameworks, and ensure that the digital economy is inclusive and reliable at the local, regional, and international levels.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Cyprus, Djibouti, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, and Rwanda are the DCO's member countries. With the addition of Ghana and the Gambia this year, the assembly now has 13 members.