Nigeria is to experience huge technology transfer of over $4 billion from

India as the governments of both countries rekindle long standing

relationships at the third Indo-Africa ICT Expo which opened September 6th

in Lagos with over 3,000 delegates from across Africa and India witnessing

the inauguration of the technology event.

Already having strong presence in Africa, India, through the Conference is

seeking stronger ties with Nigeria in particular, and has therefore

offered its assistance in all areas of technology.

Along those lines, the Nigerian Minister of Communications, Barrister

Adebayo Shittu who led the ministers from India, Ghana and top officials

from Ethiopia, Rwanda and other African countries to inaugurate the

conference, in his keynote address at the event expressed the country’s

readiness to partner with India in all possible areas to achieve a digital

economy Nigeria.

Shittu, who allayed fears of stakeholders in the ICT industry about the

Indians coming to hijack the industry, said the coming of the Indians was

sequel to discussions he had with the Indian business community in Geneva

early this year, where they promised to come and invest $4 billion in the

Nigerian IT industry.

As part of India’s commitment to Nigeria, Shittu said India is also

financing a solar-based digital connectivity project that would cover

1000 rural areas in Nigeria. The Minister however, used the opportunity to

invite Indians to invest in the key Nigerian ICT projects, which include

the establishment of ICT University and ICT development bank to cater to

the specific financing needs of the ICT industry in Africa’s biggest

market.

Earlier in his opening address at the conference, Sanjay Nayak,

Co-chairman of India’s Telecom Equipment & Services Export Promotion

Council (TEPC), said India remains the ideal partner for Africa as it

shares the same vision and mission for technology growth. According to

him, India has developed quality technologies well-crafted to meet the

needs of countries in the African continent, and which they can leverage

on at competitive price.

India, Nayak said, has the lowest telecom tariff rates in the world as a

result of its cutting edge technologies. “We have end-to-end solutions,

which are well suited for African needs” he said.

India’s Honourable Minister of Communications, Manoj Sinha, said the third

edition of the Indo-Africa ICT Expo in Lagos has special significance, not

only for India and Nigeria, but also for the entire Africa, adding that

the success of the first two editions held in Kenya gave the organisers

the confidence to shift the focus to West Africa.

“I strongly believe that the vast experience gained by India in setting up

of ICT infrastructure can be leveraged by the governments as well as the

private business enterprises in Africa. To explore synergies on the ground

in ICTs, more than 50 ICT companies from India are participating in this

ICT Expo” he said.

Citing the key capabilities of Indian companies and what they can offer

Nigeria, the Minister said that India companies have developed the

engineering capabilities and experience with smart innovations. “They have

the ability to train employees at scale; innovative business models at low

cost. This makes them well-positioned to support the booming African ICT

sector” he said.

According to the Indian Minister, India and Africa are having similar

demographic and ICT usage profile and should therefore work together to

achieve common goal of establishing digital economy in respective

countries.

“We are fully committed to share our ICT experiences, expertise and

software skills with other countries in the developing world. India is

also willing to explore opportunities of financing the emerging

opportunities”.

The organisers, TEPC, is working in conjunction with the National

Association of Software and Service Companies, (NASSCOM), which is the

premier trade body and the chamber of commerce of the IT-BPM industries in

India.

The TEPC stated that the  vision of a knowledge based society “is built on

an edifice where IT and Telecommunications merge,” adding that “rapid

technological convergence has already established a symbiotic relationship

between the development strategies of IT and telecommunications. IT

flourishes on the telecom-network and in turn permits modern day

telecommunications to use sophisticated IT-software.”

The Council says as Africa is among the fastest growing markets worldwide,

improving macroeconomic indicators, conducive business environment,

larger, younger and more affluent population, rising middle class – all

are strong indicators of not only a source of capital but also of job

creation, skills development, technology transfer, infrastructure

development, responsible governance and most of all –sustained growth that

eventually will lead to transformation of African economies!”

Other ministers at the conference include Mr. Vincent Sowah Odotel, Deputy

Minister of Communications, Ghana and Mr. Getachew Negash Tekla, State

Minister of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Communication and Information

Technology.

Dignitaries at the inauguration of the conference include Dr. Ernest

Ndukwe, former executive vice chairman of the Nigerian Communications

Commission who is chairman of Openmedia Group, Mr. Olusola Teniola,

President of the Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON),

Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, Chairman of Association of Licensed Telephone

Operators (ALTON) and Mr. Tayo Adeniyi, President of the Information

Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN), as well as Chief Charles Okeke,

chairman of the IT/Telecom Trading Group of the National Association of

Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, (NACCIMA) and Mr.

Ahmed Ojikutu, President, Computers and Allied Products Association

of Nigeria (CAPDAN).