Joint collaboration includes exploring pilots of multiple blockchain use cases
JOS, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA (February 20, 2024) – The Government of Plateau State of Nigeria is launching a collaboration with Algorand Foundation, the organization focused on growing the ecosystem for the world's most advanced, secure and reliable layer-1 blockchain, to develop pilot programs using blockchain technology. The Government of Plateau State plays a crucial role in the governance and administration of state services, and oversees daily operations in sectors ranging from judicial and legislative services to procurement and health care.
Working with the Algorand Foundation, the Government of Plateau State plans to test blockchain applications across multiple sectors.
"Nigeria has the leading digital economy sector in Africa, and our National Blockchain Policy was a groundbreaking first step towards blockchain adoption in the country,” said Engr. Datong, Dominic Gwaman, Director General, Plateau State Information and Communications Technology Development Agency (PITCDA). “We look forward to collaborating with Algorand Foundation on real-world use cases that bring greater efficiency, transparency and access to public services, while creating new job opportunities.”
Algorand Foundation has invested significantly in Nigeria through software developer education across the country since 2021, with more than 500 software developers trained in 2023 alone. More than 10% of the developers trained in 2023 were from Plateau State, a testament to the tech talent present in the state. The Foundation organized a series of events in December 2023 where 50 software developers attended a workshop, capped off by a policy dinner the following evening with representation from senior members of the Plateau State Government.
"We are excited to collaborate with the Government of Plateau State in capacity development to train software developers, as well as developing real-world use cases that provide social and economic benefits,” said Ben Onuoha, Country Head for Nigeria at Algorand Foundation.
In addition to the government partnership, the Algorand Foundation is supporting the local community and culture in Nigeria through sponsorship of The Incredible Music Festival (IMF) taking place from February 22-24, 2024 in Jos, Plateau State. The Foundation is also organizing a workshop with Algogems, an NFT marketplace, during the IMF to introduce creatives to Web3 and onboard them to the digital economy.
About Government of Plateau State, Nigeria:
Plateau State is the twelfth largest state of Nigeria, and is roughly located in the center of the country. It is geographically unique in Nigeria because its boundaries totally surround the Jos Plateau, having the Jos Plateau totally in its central and northern part. Its capital is Jos. Plateau State is celebrated as "The Home of Peace and Tourism". Plateau State gets its name from the Jos Plateau. It has a population of around 4.2 million people and has the most clement weather in Nigeria with temperatures going as low as 10 degrees Centigrade.
About the Algorand Foundation:
The Algorand Foundation is dedicated to helping fulfill the global promise of the Algorand blockchain by taking responsibility for its sound monetary supply economics, decentralized governance, and healthy and prosperous open-source ecosystem. Designed by MIT professor and Turing Award winning cryptographer Silvio Micali, Algorand is uniquely capable of delivering on the promise of a borderless global economy. It achieves transaction throughputs at the speed of traditional finance, but with immediate finality, near zero transaction costs, and on a 24/7 basis.