Nigeria, Others To Benefit From $450m Digital Transformation Initiative

Nigeria and other African countries will benefit from the over $450 million in financing through its Digital Transformation with Africa (DTA) initiative, the United States government has revealed.

Recall that the initiative launched by President Biden in the U.S.-Africa Business Forum in December 2022, seeks partnerships with African countries to expand digital access, increase U.S.-Africa commercial relations, support increased digital literacy, and strengthen digital enabling environments across the continent in line with the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy and the U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa.

The United States Consul General in Nigeria, Will Stevens, who  disclosed this while presenting a keynote at the Global Tech Africa Conference in Lagos, said the initiative emphasises the ‘with’ in Digital Transformation “with” Africa, and not “for” Africa; because the U.S. government believes Africa brings tremendous value to the global table.

While announcing that the U.S. government had already invested $350 million into digital programming and intends to invest millions more under this Initiative, Stevens said, the DTA will also facilitate more than $450 million in financing to develop an inclusive and resilient digital ecosystem in Africa; harness the tools and capabilities of 18 U.S. government departments and agencies; and partner with African governments and a wide variety of other actors – such as the private sector and civil society – to make these investments transformative.

The consul general posited that the success of technology in Nigeria will translate into the success of Africa, hence, serious attention is being paid to the country’s tech ecosystem.

“The United States is invested in Nigeria’s technological success, and it is no exaggeration to say that Nigeria’s success is Africa’s success and Africa’s success is the world’s success.

“To realise this continent’s true potential in technology, we encourage you to leverage the opportunities I shared today, and those tools found under the Prosper Africa initiative, including the Prosper Africa Tech for Trade Alliance, an initiative also announced in the 2022 U.S.-Africa Business Forum Deal Room, to advance e-commerce and digital,” Stevens advised.

He averred that Nigeria is reshaping the future of technology in Africa and its youth are changing the world. “Our Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Joy Basu, who visited Abuja and Lagos last month to pursue opportunities to expand U.S.-Nigeria commercial and economic relationship, put it best when she said: ‘We owe it to the world to unleash Nigeria’s talent in service to solving the world’s greatest problems,” he added.

Stevens, however, reiterated the U.S. commitment to supporting Nigeria and Africa on its journey to prosperity.