Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, has called on organisations to embrace emerging technologies as a means of advancing Nigeria’s national aspirations. He made this call on Monday at the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) annual conference themed “Leveraging Emerging Technologies to Drive Innovation, Creativity and Productivity.”
Akume described technology as the bedrock of national competitiveness and institutional relevance, stressing that adopting emerging technologies would enable organisations to convert challenges into opportunities and accelerate sustainable development across sectors of the economy.
He noted that Nigeria’s youthful population and expanding digital economy made the discussion on emerging technologies critical to the nation’s progress. According to him, Nigeria has a unique opportunity to adopt and adapt technologies to boost productivity in governance, agriculture, industry, education, health and services.
“Innovation and creativity, powered by technology, can unlock efficiency, reduce costs, enhance transparency, and ultimately improve citizens’ quality of life,” Akume said.
He added that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had consistently shown commitment to leveraging emerging technologies as drivers of transformation, innovation and productivity. He highlighted artificial intelligence, digital finance, renewable energy and youth-focused innovation hubs as areas being prioritised to keep Nigeria aligned with global technological trends. Akume also commended the NIM for providing a platform that shapes Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global knowledge economy.
NIM President Abimbola Ayuba, in his remarks, said forward-looking nations and organisations must deploy technologies to drive innovation and productivity. He described the annual management conference as the institute’s flagship programme and a key contribution to nation-building.
Ayuba stated that recommendations from the conference would be presented to government and stakeholders to promote a technologically viable nation. He also stressed the importance of a peaceful environment, saying meaningful development cannot thrive in chaos or insecurity. He urged professionals to uphold discipline, efficiency, integrity, accountability, equity and transparency in both their personal and professional lives.
“It is only when we give our best that we can drive the aggregates of national development,” Ayuba added.
