Economist and Public Policy & Strategy Manager at Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Tayo Aduloju, has said there is need to grow Nigeria’s economy at a fast pace than the rate at which the population is growing.
Aduloju made this known while speaking during the panel session at DAI quarterly roundtable and book launch with the theme – “Access for all in a digital economy.”
Aduloju explained that there is need for robust government policies to achieve a tremendous growth in the nation’s economy. He noted that the gender gap need to be addressed to ensure women who contribute significantly to the economy are not excluded, adding that 65% of small holder farmers are women.
For her part, Brigit Helms, Vice President, Technical Services at DAI said fundamental issues which have brought about inclusion gap in the economy needed to be addressed with urgency, without which success cannot be recorded.
Brigit talked about the unpaid job women do saying “If you would monetize the efforts women contribute to the economy, it is enormous.” She added that “it is not enough to talk about parity and equity in workplace, certain fundamental issues need to be addressed.”
Wole Odetaya Co-founder, LoftyInc Allied Partners Limited, advocated for the adoption of GovTech which he said would limit the level of interfacing with people before accessing services. He buttressed that, “if we do not need to interface with individuals on a daily basis to access certain services especially in the public sector, which I believe promotes bureaucracy and manipulation, our economy would improve”.
He added that Nigeria can leverage on technology as a major catalyst in taming the high rate of poverty in the country. He also reiterated the need to ensure digital access for all.