AMBASSADOR SHEHU PARTICIPATES AT THE INTERNATIONAL FORUM
“IT DIALOG 2022”, SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIAN FEDERATION
On 10th November, 2022 H.E. Professor Abdullahi Shehu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the Russian Federation with concurrent accreditation to the Republic of Belarus participated at the International Forum “IT Dialogue 2022” held in Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation, under the theme : “Investment in Innovation”.
The forum was attended by a number of participants from Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The event, which was organized by the Saint Petersburg Committee for Communications and Information Technology with support of the Government of Saint Petersburg, discussed various areas of cooperation with the Information and Telecommunications industries of the Russian Federation.
A cluster of Russian ICT companies presented papers and demonstrated innovated softwares and gadgets which could be used in improving all aspects of life, especially in dealing with criminals and criminality. The Russian companies showed readiness to cooperate with foreign companies /government in the areas of their specialization including: e-governance, robotics, educational technology, smart city, smart seaports/airports, satellite technology, automation system, data management, employee management et cetera.
On his part, Ambassador Shehu underscored the importance of such forum, especially in a time when governments are faced with numerous challenges including insurgencies, oil theft and banditry which hinder peace, stability and development.
Therefore, he identified three key areas where Nigeria could cooperate with the Russian ICT companies. These are: agrotechnology, Oil and gas, application of technology for security purposes. He added that another area of cooperation is e-governance, which the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari focuses on, in an effort to improve delivery and efficiency of government services and ensure cost reduction and revenue growth. Finally, he reaffirmed the Embassy of Nigeria’s readiness and commitment to facilitate cooperation between the Russian ICT companies and the Nigerian government/companies.
