Osibajo: FG Determined to Drive the Economy

Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice President yesterday reiterated the plan of the President Mohammadu Buhari to drive the economy and achieve growth through the use of technology.True to his words, the Vice President signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Global Good Fund co-founded by Bill Gates, on behalf of the federal government.According to Osinbajo; “this administration is interested in the idea of using technology because it is the way forward for those interested in rapid growth in the next decade. The world has moved on from the dark ages to a technologically driven society.”“I am interested in this whole idea of using technology to address some of our challenges.” The Vice President was in the company of the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Audu Ogbeh, Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole and the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Mr. Udoma Udo Udoma at the signing.“We are at a point where technology is important for making a difference in the lives of the people”.“The challenge is how to ensure that these initiatives and innovations will benefit the majority of the people”. Osinbajo further explained; “I think we should be able to set targets, to have useful interaction in terms of how much we are able to achieve; this target should be on a scale, for instance, in the next one or two years. It should be based on measurable targets to keep our focus; at the end of the day, it will mean we’ve impacted so many millions of people.”The Director of Global Good Fund, Mr. David Keogh, who led the Fund’s delegation and signed the MoU on behalf of his organization, said the Fund is on a social mission to deploy technology in the area of agriculture and healthcare that will impact many people in Nigeria.Mr. Keogh said the company would not just help government and other multi-lateral agencies identify their challenges, they would proffer technical solutions as well.