Dr. Chris Uwaje, Director General, Delta State Innovation Hub and Chair, Mobile Software Solutions Limited has called for an urgent need to restructure the nation’s IT policy into a National Digital policy.

He made the call at the 2019 Nigeria DigitalSense forum on Internet Governance for Development (IG4d) and Nigeria IPv6 roundtable in Lagos.

According to him, “to take connectivity seriously we have to restructure our national IT policy to digital which is the hall mark of connectivity because the convergence of the industry has moved to another ecosystem called digital”.

Uwaje noted that “we’re still in core deficit in transmitting and securing data in Nigeria and IPv6 is key to data security and should be a national emergency”.

Speaking earlier, Mr Istifanus Musa, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communications, there was the need for ideal policy framework to boost internet governance.

Musa, represented by Olufemi Olufeko, the Director, e-Government in the ministry said that an ideal framework would provide for an enabling, rather than a restrictive environment to foster dynamic, efficient and flexible interconnection to networks.

According to him, the framework should encompass broad areas of expansion of infrastructure, skills development and entrepreneurship.

He added that “The internet will only be fully adopted, and its benefits universally shared when there is compelling locally made policy available.

“Furthermore, there is clear need to develop human capacity and open up governance structure around the internet to a multi-stakeholder approach. Ministry of Communications is focused on lifting the lives of Nigerians through provision of affordable ICT solutions and promulgation of enabling policies to help ICT industry to grow.”

According to him, the success of the internet depends on reliable, efficient and cost effective interconnections among networks.

“There is need for ideal policy framework which provides for an enabling, rather than a restrictive environment, to foster dynamic, efficient and flexible interconnection to networks. The policy principles should focus on expansion and investment in both access (network) infrastructure and content infrastructure”.

“It should also ensure policies are technology neutral and flexible enough to encourage new ways of delivering access.”

The permanent secretary said that the policy should seek the introduction of IT engineering in school curriculum, establishment of innovation hubs and facilitate local innovation and entrepreneurship.

He said that supportive governance policy should focus on improving governance principles and rules that would promote widespread availability and online usage.

He noted that the policy should promote collaborative security approach to increase broad trust in the internet.
According to him, there should be data protection laws to ensure privacy for sensitive data that underpin new financial, health and other services using personal data.

The Executive Director, DigitalSense Africa Media, Nkem Nweke, said that the event was created 10 years ago for Nigerian internet stakeholders to raise and address germane issues concerning the ICT sector.

She noted that the theme for the event, connecting Nigerians for enhanced internet governance was chosen so as to give all internet users and all other stakeholders to discuss, as they call for a better connection and internet governance as well as take a stand on internet governance issues.

Nweke however called on the government for an urgent need to develop an institutional capacity required to be competitive if we must build an inclusive digital economy and society.

Story by: Theresa Igata