National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
The Federal Government should simplify taxes and reduce fees involved in laying fibre optic cables to encourage development of infrastructure for the technology industry, Google’s Manager in Nigeria,
Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, has said.
Ehimuan-Chiazor told Reuters, that boosting the technology industry will help diversify Nigeria’s oil-dependent economy, which is now in its second year of a recession caused mainly by low crude prices.
The Budget and National Planning Ministry said in March the government should encourage local production of technology hardware to reduce dependence on imports and generate foreign exchange.
The government aims to create 2.5 million new technology jobs in 2017-2020 via a state-run training programme.
“The private sector can play a very strong role,” Ehimuan-Chiazor said, adding that internet service providers regularly complained that multiple taxes at the federal and state level raised the cost of expanding the required infrastructure.
