The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Bayelsa State Governor on Tourism and facilitator of South-South Tourism Roundtable, Dr. Piriye Kiyaramo has stressed the need for policymakers to evolve strategies to sensitise the public on the essence of the Connected Economy, informing that value is created through technology-enabled links between people, machines, and organizations in the connected economy era.
Dr. Kiyaramo who stated this when he received his colleague, a Senior Special Assistant (SSA), to the governor of Bayelsa State on Connected Economy, Hon. Gina Embelakpo Yeri, in his office in Yenagoa on Tuesday, said the connected economy model provides such a powerful force for collaboration as well as unique opportunity to co-create a brighter future for all, which is the mantra of the prosperity administration.
He said the connected econemy model which has to do with connecting collaborating and engaging people serves as a booster to government revenues, household income, and increasing employment opportunities, leading to economic growth and prosperity for a state or country.
While commending Governor Douye Diri for creating connected economy office to coordinate related activities in the state, he noted that the new economic model is a network of interconnected economic ecosystems built on trust, value alignment and reciprocity to foster prosperity, collaboration and engagements that come with infinite possibilities.
Dr. Kiyaramo pointed out that every small and medium scale business owner needs to develop potential for value creation by making or strengthening connections, adding that mammoth social media platforms like Facebook, derive much of their value by the sheer number of creations they create which enable them to make billion dollar valuations before they do anything with their connections to actually make their money.
He maintained that the values of connections in the connected economy are indisputable, reiterating the urgent need for everyone to key into the connected economy by effectively participating in it.
“So let us look at tangible ways we can all take advantage of this connected economy today. As society continues to evolve beyond the industrial economy and the information economy, we are seeing personal connections, trust, and authentic relationships emerging to become valuable commodities.
“The connected economy is significantly different from those that came earlier. Inherent in the connected economy is the connections that result in a deeper sense of community, purpose, and meaning, over mass production, competition, and consumption. The connected economy is driven by qualities such as generosity, collaboration, cooperation, communication, and sharing.
“This new way of operating business provides a fresh perspective for solving today’s toughest problems in business, education, sustainability, politics, and government. So, we should leverage the opportunities that the connected economy brings.
“There are some people in this world who naturally and easily build large networks and deep connections with a wide range of diverse people from all over the world. This is how the concept of the connected economy works.
“These people are often called superconnectors, and it is thought that they have an innate ability to connect and form relationships. Not all of us are born with such gifts, but we can learn how to be better at it with practice to become a superconnector, too.
“The connected economy leaders are already gaining rewards from this new connected business model. These leaders have certainly experienced significantly stronger revenue growth over the past few years than their less connected rivals, due to their ability to exploit information at a speed through their use of hardware, software, and networking technologies”, Dr. Kiyaramo explained.
On her part, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the governor on Connected Economy, Hon. Gina Embelakpo Yeri said she derived her inspiration about the connected economy from the book of Isaiah chapter forty-five, from verses one to three, in the bible, which talks about discovering secret riches in secret places.
According to Hon. Embelakpo Yeri, the global economy has changed, just as the world is now going digital and connected, adding that “so for us, the connected economy is the best platform to achieve the goals of the prosperity vision of His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri whose administration is anchored on his prosperity mantra.
“Our mission is to raise two thousand millionaires in Bayelsa State every month, come 2024, using the connected economy space.
The vision is to raise financially free people in Bayelsa State, who will, in turn, raise other financially free people who will collectively use their resources to positively affect the state and the world at large.
“Our miracle governor has done well by creating an office for the connected economy. We are waiting for the official launch of the connected economy in the state by the Miracle Governor.
“Creating the office of the connected economy is a step in the right direction. We intend to conduct a series of connected economy skill trainings to enable the people of the state to effectively key in to participate in the connectedeconomy”, she said.