Diaspora, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has launched its Data Mapping and Registry Portal in Abuja.
Affairs, Amb. Zubairu Dada, remarked that the portal will enhance
Diaspora participation in demographic and national planning as well as budgeting purposes at all levels of governance.
Amb. Dada maintained that it was a thing of pride and urged every
Nigerian in the Diaspora to partake in it, as one of the critical tools
to encourage the Diaspora for national development, which is in line
with the vision, mission and mandate of NiDCOM.
The Chairman/CEO of the Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said that the event was to create awareness and develop a collaborative agenda for
the development of a credible data base of Nigerians in the Diaspora.
According to her, “it was necessary to set up a reliable and scalable
data base of the Nigerian Diaspora to provide for engagement of the
Nigerian Diaspora in the policies, project and programmes of the
Nigerian government at all levels.
establishment of data mapping sites which served, as the foremost
capturing platform for raw data in over 10 countries and it is expected
at least 20 countries in 2021.
The NiDCOM Boss, said that the Commission was investing in high-tech mechanisms such as AI systems and advanced data analytic systems in order to recognise and bring Nigerian Diaspora together.
Mr. Franz Celestin, the Chief of Mission, International Organisation
for Migration (IOM), said that the launch of the data mapping platform
is a historical moment for the Commission, the Nigerian Diaspora and the country.
Celestin maintained that this will bring potentials, encourage Diaspora
to invest, identify the socio-demographic spread and economic profile of its Diaspora.
He encouraged Nigerians in the Diaspora to make optimum use of this great opportunity. This was corroborated by the representative of the European Union Elena Zezelidou who commended NIDCOM’s dedication and commitment to ensuring Diaspora Portal is launched as well as the ratification of The National Diaspora Policy by the Federal Executive Council.
The Head of Technology, Transfer and Innovation (TTI) Department,(NIDCOM) Hon. Abdulrahman Terab, said the platform was specially designed to be user-friendly, with seamless questions, aimed
at sorting, marking and analysing data, used to make sense of the
future.
Meanwhile, Nigerians in Diaspora can log on to www.nidcom.gov.ng/registry to access the portal. As at time of
inauguration, about a Hundred Nigerians in the Diaspora have registered.
