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Nigeria cannot catch up with the developed nations unless she deepens the awareness of ICT in education through the promotion of science and technology. This was the position of some experts, as thought leaders and entrepreneurs in Nigeria’s ICT sector gathered in honour of Don Etiebet at the 39th CVL, Leader Without Title, Leadership tribute colloquium, themed: The evolution of ICT and the Speed of Change in Nigeria’s Economic Space.
Speaking at the event the Chairman Zinox Technologies, Leo Stan Ekeh, alluded to the fact that indeed educating policy makers on the possibilities and the need to inculcate a digital lifestyle culture will create more room for investments, because “the need creates the possibilities”.
According to Ekeh, ironically, ICT sector which is the greatest in the world is the poorest sector in Nigeria. “We have to set a target for the sector and to achieve this we need a very clever policy and strong human capital development which is the biggest problem in the country if we must advance.”
Ekeh who is optimistic of the possibilities of a stronger future in the sector, added that the country can transition to where America is today at a very cheap cost looking at the transformations the digital age has brought.
“How much would it cost to get all the network providers to subsidise cloud infrastructure over the major cities in Nigeria. If the government can put cloud all over state capitals this will enable more internet access and get more people online”, he said.
He however harped on the need to strengthen our infrastructure base. “There’s hardware deficiency in the country but I am very positive, the future is strong”.
For Chris Uwaje, former President, Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria, in order to drive our purpose within the sector forward, “we have to work on the disconnection (knowledge and skills) in the thought process among the government, academia and the industry within the ICT environment because we have the wherewithal.”
Uwaje added that “We have to recognise that speed in terms of speed of thought, intelligence and knowledge can consume a nation.”
“Our potential in management and organisation is poor. The concept of knowledge is hidden in our country but there is knowledge in-house in this country that can be primed into disrupting the ecosystem of other productivity in the world. We don’t pride our own”, he said.
The Founder, Centre for Values in Leadership, CVL, Pat Utomi, however sort the Commitment of stakeholders to launch an Economic Sector project for the ICT industry to document the history, prospects and problems within the sector.
