Vice President Kashim Shettima announced on Tuesday that the Tinubu administration has successfully ended the “regimes of volatility and unpredictability” that previously characterised Nigeria’s economy, citing recent credit rating upgrades as evidence of growing global confidence.
This was conveyed in a statement issued by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications, Office of the Vice President.
Speaking at the opening of the Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition 2025 in Abuja, Senator Shettima said the administration was compelled to act decisively in response to global economic uncertainties, “shocks, shifting alliances, and the rapid displacement of traditional jobs by emerging technologies.”
“What this Administration has achieved is to end the regimes of volatility and unpredictability that once defined our economy,” the Vice President stated. “The phase before us now is to ensure that these macroeconomic gains trickle down to the people, from the kiosks of our neighbourhood traders to the boardrooms of our multinational corporations.”
The Vice President pointed to Fitch’s upgrade of Nigeria’s sovereign rating to B with a stable outlook and Moody’s lifting of the nation’s issuer rating to B3 with a stable outlook as proof that “the world is taking note of the steady course the nation is maintaining.”
Shettima justified the administration’s bold reform agenda by declaring: “We did what we have done because we can no longer apply 20th-century solutions to 21st-century problems.”
Addressing the conference theme of “Innovation for a Sustainable Digital Future: Accelerating Growth, Inclusion, and Global Competitiveness,” the Vice President outlined an ambitious vision for Nigeria’s digital transformation that extends beyond urban centres.
“We need a digital ecosystem that works as seamlessly in Lagos as it does in Abuja, in Port Harcourt, in Kano, in Gusau, and across every corner of our nation,” Shettima said. “The digital success we seek is one where the farmer in Bida can access real-time market data to sell his harvest at a fair price, where a young woman in Oguta can work remotely for a global company because she has connectivity and the skills to compete.”
The Vice President emphasised that Nigeria must move “beyond the ‘quick wins’ of simple apps to building deep-tech solutions that address foundational challenges in agriculture, health, logistics, and governance.”
Senator Shettima outlined the administration’s strategy, which rests on three pillars: People, Infrastructure, and Policy.
On the People pillar, he highlighted initiatives including the integration of digital literacy into school curricula, the Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) programme targeting the informal sector, and the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme aimed at developing world-class expertise.
Regarding Infrastructure, the Vice President said: “We are constructing the broadband ‘superhighway’ that powers a digital economy. Through projects like Bridge and 774, we are ensuring high-speed connectivity so that a startup in Gusau enjoys the same access as one in Lagos.”
On Policy, he noted that “the success of our cashless reforms has positioned Nigeria as one of the most dynamic fintech ecosystems in the world.”
Shettima disclosed that the administration is in the advanced stages of passing the National Digital Economy and e-Governance Bill into law. “Just as the cashless policy unlocked the fintech revolution, this new Bill will unlock the GovTech revolution—an era of smarter governance, greater transparency, and inclusive service delivery,” he stated.
The Vice President solicited support from the private sector and economic experts, describing them as “the pillar of the nation’s digital economy” and “the innovators, the disruptors, the dreamers who turn possibilities into progress.”
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, said the enabling digital policies being implemented by the Tinubu administration “are on course to boost the country’s digital infrastructure.” He invited stakeholders to deepen collaboration so Nigeria can become “a global model for technology adaptation for shared prosperity.”
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, commended the Vice President’s support and commitment to championing Nigerian youth, calling it “deeply rooted in President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”
Dr. Vincent Olatunji, CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), emphasised the need for Nigeria to claim “its rightful place in the digital sector” through collaboration, interaction, and innovation, noting the massive socio-economic potential of the global digital economy.
