NiRA replaces late Ajayi, 3yrs after

Following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) last weekend at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, the Nigerian Internet Registration Association (NiRA), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) set up to manage the ccTLD since June 23, 2005, has been mandated to replace the late professor as the nation’s Point-of-Contact (POC).

Champion Infotel recalls that till date, the late Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Prof. Gabriel Olalere Ajayi, is still the administrative referred to as POC for the nation’s Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) name, .ng, over three years after his death.

Investigations by Champion Infotel revealed that late Prof. Ajayi’s name is conspicuous in the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) database on .ng, which was created on March 15, 1995 and last updated on September 22, 2005, that is, about seven months after the demise of the late DG on December 16, 2004 at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

The PoC is the individual or organisation supposedly in charge of the country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) name .ng administration.

Although NITDA remained the sponsoring organisation on behalf of the federal government and the technical contact person is still Mr. Randy Bush, a United States-based Internet expert, late Prof. Ajayi’s appearance on the IANA database as the POC is an affront on the nation and specifically NITDA for the inability to appropriately communicate with the IANA, the administrative arm of the global Internet coordinating agency, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

The initial excuse given as gathered by our correspondent was that a decision taken by some ‘stakeholders’ after the conclusion of the meeting on the formation of NiRA allowed for the change to be made once and for all.

Particularly, this ‘stakeholders’ meeting was online and based on the instance of the IANA on June 2005; meaning that instead of using the current NITDA Director-General, Prof. Cleopas Officer Angaye to replace late Prof. Ajayi as PoC, the status-quo should remain, pending the registration of NiRA to take over.

Unfortunately, it took some good months for this to be achieved due to bureaucratic bottlenecks as observed by some stakeholders.

Noteworthy is that NiRA has since first quarter of last year, 2007, be in possession of an issued certificate of incorporation of its trustees and dated February 9, 2007 by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

Speaking to Champion Infotel exclusively on the MoU, NiRA President, Mr. Ndukwe Kalu, assured that before the end of this quarter, NiRA would take full control of .ng management including the replacement of late Prof. Ajayi as POC and Mr. Randy Bush as the technical contact person.

He explained that as outcome of the MoU endorsed with the Federal Government’s IT agency, NITDA is expected before this week runs out to detail a letter to the changes in the management of .ng to ICANN on behalf of government with a copy made available to NiRA.

According to him, NiRA is expected too to write ICANN based on government’s letter of authorisation, stating its readiness for the take over and management of .ng as specified in the guidelines with global best practices.

ICANN, he said, would in turn forward these letters to its administrative wing, IANA, to set up a committee for the verification and when this is certified, “An agreement would be signed between NITDA cum NiRA and IANA.”

This process, Mr. Kalu noted, would take up to three months to accomplish and to give time for due process to be followed.

He decried the use of individual names in registration of a national project like .ng, describing personalisation of the ccTLD as its major and basic challenge since inception.

He pointed out that with the MoU endorsed, lots of things would change, such as POC would be changed and technical contact to either the President of NiRA or administration department of NiRA, while the technical department of the association would take over the position of the technical contact respectively.

“Either the President or admin department of NiRA and technical department will be used this time and not a name,” he said.

Mr. Kalu further explained that President’s of NiRA could always come and go and there must be somebody in that position or even the administration department would at all times be there despite who is occupying the position.

This, he said, is what is obtainable in other countries of the world and not personalisation of issues and administration of the .ng as reflected in the current database, stressing that the present steps will boost the penetration of .ng among Nigerians both at home and abroad even as he urged the Internet community to embrace the .ng.

Champion Infotel recalls that for over 10 years, Nigeria recorded less than 600 registrations on the .ng after it was created in 1995 due to controversies, but as at December 2007, NiRA has achieved up to 3000 and is targeting 1m before the end of 2009.

Also, sources close to IANA informed that changing the details on PoC for .ng, for instance, is not a difficult task once the Internet community in Nigeria agreed to a specific name.

According to IANA’s procedures concerning ccTLD database information in order to effect a change on ccTLD managers, a request must be made to IANA which is responsible for receiving and acting on requests by the designated ccTLD managers to change contact information about the ccTLD’s designated sponsoring organization, administrative contact, and technical contact.

This request, IANA said, should be made by filling-out the root-zone modification template and sending it to root-mgmt@iana.org.

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Nigeria made progress in 2007 – Experts

Analysis:

Mobile operators in Nigeria did not bargain for what they got when, midyear, quality of telephone service degenerated to an unbearable level and condemnation of mobile services became widespread. Federal legislators stepped in and the music changed as they dragged the regulator in to share in the bashing for the mess. The latter also didn’t bargain for what it got, or so it seemed. But for the fact that Nigerians and their politicians are not exactly good bedfellows, both the regulator and mobile operators would have been thoroughly bruised.

Dysfunctional public power supply (the same condition under which telecom operators and everyone else in the economy operate); arbitrary taxes (‘multiple taxation’ in operators’ parlance but hardly a unique problem of the telecom sector); theft of infrastructure (‘armed’ and ‘unarmed robbery’ in consumers’ parlance, a mantra of the Nigerian system); dysfunctional NITEL (the very reason why the operators were let loose on the consumers in the first place); and much more. These are the reasons mobile operators gave for why consumers have to pay more than in other climes where the markets are smaller and the business, even less lucrative.

It was when the same reasons were being advanced for why quality had to dip so low and text messaging -- a cheaper and more convenient communication solution -- started to play annoying games that Nigerians woke up to the reality that they were in fact in deep ‘mess’.

The challenges:

In the days of NITEL, the problem was about getting a phone. When the better days came, the problem changed to using a phone. Among other myriad of problems of its monopoly days, a notable malady of NITEL was its emphasis on engineering to the detriment of product marketing and customer care. The new comers changed the music, and rightfully so. Technology is a tool for solving peoples’ problems, albeit as good business. It is not marvelous just for its own sake and that point is now succinctly made. The new comers, however, have now over-emphasized the marketing aspect to the detriment of the engineering. Something must give – and when it actually did, chaos reigned. Lessons must have been learnt by all concerned: the regulator, operators and the hype-loving consumers.

Looking back at the expired year, it is important to recognize the good (network expansion, improving internet access, commencement of market induced consolidation, etc); the bad (poor services, lack of human capital); and the ugly (political interference in industry regulation and the attempt by state governments to take a huge bite in the cake which the industry is baking, among others).

Only three of the five operators forecast for buy-over in the expired year actually made it into buyers’ hands while another two, which were not known to be ailing, got bigger players to buy heavily or totally into them. One was particularly a good buy. Reading from the performance table, and going by feelers within the industry, this year may witness the acquisition of five ailing operators by existing and incoming big players while those who are migrating to higher technology platforms may also expand into underserved locations, thus boosting the spread campaign.

Active lines:

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has published a figure of 37.9 million which it calls ‘active’ mobile lines as at October 2007, with another 1,4 million being the figure for fixed and wireless lines. Discounting attrition, multiple-ownership and allowing a little inflation of figures on the part of every provider, there may well be some 30 million active mobile users. That may account for a 21 per cent penetration, which means the market remains good in terms of unmet but suppressed demand.

Emerging technologies abound, begging, to provide smart solutions and major providers are expected to eye the Nigerian market, a queer one that is both difficult and lucrative. A few weeks ago, France Telecom got Kenya’s nod to take control of its national carrier while India’s Reliance Communications Ltd picked up a license in Uganda, just as our own Globacom also won a license in Republic of Benin – where it has already made initial test calls on its ready-for-service network.

Globalstar Inc. announced recently that it is backing a Nigerian company, Globaltouch West Africa Ltd, to commence Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite (GMPCS) services in Nigeria by the second half of 2008.

Reluctant licensee, Mudabala-Etisalat’s emergence is important but really and largely to the extent of the big bucks it placed on the table. It will be a pleasant surprise to see a radical influence similar to how Globacom forced every player to go ‘per second’ and to make SIM card price roll down the hill with high velocity when it emerged in 2003.

Two players to watch:

Starcomms has shown indication of optimum marketing of a technology standard just as it carefully watches over its engineering flank while Visafone, a new entrant which immediately bought over an ailing operator, has the challenge of spread as mandate. The promoter of Visafone comes necessarily into analysis since he has a record of aggressive approach to marketing banking products with a strong base in Information Technology. Considering the complimentary strength of his earlier and new efforts, he may spring some surprises and make good strategic influence in the fixed wireless services arena. Will he take Visafone to the capital market the way he did Zenith? Only he and time can answer.

Inadequate human capital may haunt the industry more than any other thing, even though it may not be a topic of common discourse. It has really never been. Lack of improvement in available indigenous capacity, especially in technical areas, may stall rapid bailout from the poor quality of service syndrome that taunted the industry in the expired year and ever since. Deliberate effort may just be required to put the industry in shape in that regard. The NCC, did well by establishing the Digital Bridge Institute a few years ago and it must have been evaluating what influence the Institute made on the overall available capacity. It has been mentioned that the NCC was granted the right to acquire NITEL’s former Training Centres in Lagos and Kano. Hopefully, it will consider licensing smart trainers to meet the challenge of putting the facilities to good application rather than doing it by itself.

Rising FDI:

The telecommunications industry has grossed $10 billion, and still counting, into the Nigerian economy since deregulation. Figures for the direct inward financing for 2007 are yet to be put together but things are certainly looking up.

It is a pity that a few state governments have been unable to appreciate the direct benefits of the nationwide spread of telecommunications to their citizens, hence their desire to take a direct bite in the cake which the industry is baking in their backyard. Some resorted to drama in the pursuit of the objective. One has acted ultra vires while at the same time over-dramatizing the benefits which co-location of infrastructure could yield to the industry. Their pronouncements, desperate and combative, sound like co-location is war (which it is not) rather than an industry management tool (which it is). When the chips are down, there is really nothing sacrosanct in co-location of infrastructure going by the interplay of emerging technologies.

The National Assembly added an ironic twist to a brewing confusion by commencing a regime of issuing directives to operators as if there were no laws governing the industry. Good a thing they have been largely ignored. If committees of the National Assembly begin to issue industry intervention directives whenever they get annoyed with one industry player or the other, we may expect a rise in the number of litigations -- a potential drawback to rapid growth in the telecommunication industry. Nigeria has enjoyed an unusual speed in its telecom growth partly because the industry has been managed in such a way that due process guides regulatory intervention and the negative effects of rash litigations have been curbed so far. At a time when legislators would do well to study the industry and fine-tune existing laws to make sanctions issued to erring operators more prompt and effective, they went about chasing the shadows of an accomplished Commission.

A few legislators, in a show of annoyance, told us that the Nigerian Communications Commission was incompetent. Of course that is untrue and the whole wide world, knows it. Things may be slower than we all want in some aspects of regulatory intervention but who does not know that due process is slow but that it remains the best option when the chips are down. There are lessons to learn in all of these as part of our growth, including lessons on the relationship between legislative oversight functions and industry regulation.

Rebirth of NITEL:

Are research establishments also industry/business managers? Or should they be?

The question begged for an answer when managers of Nigerian Communications Satellite Company Ltd, NIGCOMSAT (a subsidiary of National Space Research Development Agency, NARSDA), claimed they got President Obasanjo’s nod for their participation in telecommunications service delivery, apparently in mindless disregard of the need for a license to do so. The issues eventually brought to fore a few other monstrous creations of the past government, all in the name of providing rural communications -- a path once traveled with resounding failure and wasted resources. The Rural Telephony Project, a loan initiative of a consortium of Chinese investors, had gulped N5 billion before it could no longer fly while those who run NIGCOMSAT asked the National Assembly to appropriate $150 million for their operations. The rest is history-yet-to-unfold and maybe 2008 will complete the story for the records. Would NITEL reincarnate in ‘NIGCOMSAT’ in 2008? The world must be watching.

NITEL finally took a bow in 2007 when privatization managers gave it out, the year earlier, to a government ‘conglomerate’ known as Transnational Corporation (Transcorp). That was the final step needed to make it sleep for a long time if not forever.

Unification of ICT as one industry took a step forward, two backwards as federal authorities took decisions that showed either that there must have been competing power blocs within the bureaucracies which concern the subject matter or that the whims of the ultimate decider was yet unclear.

Foreign scene:

On the international scene, Apple it was that used AT&T as official carrier to drive its iPhone into the US market, and much later Europe, thereby making itself a company to watch in 2008 and beyond. Did someone say that the Google’s Android Challenge is a sure sneak-in on the Apple/AT&T plan? Well, whichever way the various competitions go, such innovations and the recent electronic numbering (ENUM) protocol -- which is the result of the Internet Engineering Task Force’s work, and supported by the ITU -- will bring the customization of our phone lines along our personal identities closer home. We cannot wait to see it happen.

And for Google? When some folks put billions of dollars on the table for frequency under auction, it makes it a reality that they are on the 2008 watch list.

No doubt, 2007 drove home the point around the role of ICTs in effecting socio-economic change but that change has to be embraced and led by all stakeholders -- regulators, industry players and consumers. It was a turbulent but certainly remarkable year with good lessons to learn.

The regulator would by now have commenced a regime of taking measurements in all its ramifications and at all times while operators should have learnt how not to make product campaign a replacement for the product itself; just as the consumers, sooner or later, will live to love hype less.

•The duo of Gbenga Sesan and Titi Omo-Ettu contributed this piece from Lagos.

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Cisco dangles N4.6m on SMEs

Cisco Systems Incorporated Nigeria, is dangling $40,000, about N4,697,000 in a promo for Small and Medium Business (SMB) tagged Extreme Business Makeover.

Disclosing this, Managing Director, Cisco Nigeria, Mr. Maduka Emelife, said that the promo, which commenced, a week ago, is targeted at small and medium companies who are end-users of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) products.

To qualify, Mr. Emelife said contesting companies must be a business entity and not a government department, agency or commission and must have between eight and 250 staff with at least 10 networked computers as well as existed for a minimum of two years.

He explained that interested companies could be nominated by a member of staff or a director who takes ultimate ICT decisions for the organisation, adding that to nominate, the individual is expected to log on to, www.nigeria.ciscomakeover.com, which must be done just once.

According to him, the registration covers the company history, structure, facilities and business operations.

“If the person is successful in the first round, he can proceed to the second and on to the third before the final round,” he declared.

He pointed out that a week after the closure of the registration billed to end on March 5, 2008, about 15 successful companies would be short-listed and their names published in national dailies.

Successful companies, Mr. Emelife added would now face the judges in the bid to select the grand prize winner of $40,000 ICT makeover made up of latest ICT facility and or upgrade to a state-of-the art suite.

This, he said, would be followed by presentation to the public of the grand prize-winner and re-examination of the company’s ICT suite to determine the best intervention to offer.

“Cisco would then supply and install a completely new ICT suite, if need be, to the tune of $40,000,” he said.

For other selected participants in the promo, he said, they would be awarded consolation prizes which Cisco is keeping close to heart, emphasising that though the registration for the promo would close on March 5, the Extreme Business Makeover will continue till March 18 when the prize would be announced.

The promo, he clarified is not aimed at pushing out stock on customers, but is to improve ICT capacity and capability at the SMEs level.

“Its in this regard that this particular promotion distinguishes itself from the crows and positions Cisco not just as a giant in ICT technology, but also as a giant in social corporate responsibility in the Nigerian project,” he submitted.

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BMI activates Equinox

Mozambique-based mercantile and investment bank, Banco Mercantile De Investimentos SARL (BMI) is now live on Equinox Banking System.

The bank went live on the solution within a record implementation time of 16 weeks.

Champion Infotel recalled that mid last year, BMI struck a deal with Neptune Software Plc for the translation, conversion and development of a Portuguese version of Equinox Banking System.

Owing to the weight of the project, which required full translation and conversion the solution originally available in English and French languages, were estimated to last about nine months.

It was gathered that Neptune devised a sophisticated project management strategy and committed huge resources that transformed the whole scheme including translation, data conversion, platform migration, customization and implementation completion within a period of 16 weeks.

Commenting on the deployment, Chairman, Banco, Mr. Matabele, recalled that the decision to select Neptune’s Equinox for the bank was a balance between Neptune’s long standing reputation in software translation and migration as was witnessed in the work done in SIAB Bank Togo and its commitment to serve the African market, using resources that have deep experience in implementing Equinox.

Head, Business Development, Neptune Kenya, Mr. George Agu, described the development as a rare one.

“Rarely can a project fail if various stakeholders work with the right mindset and cooperate well in areas where there inputs are required,” he said, adding that the company is very impressed with the response of BMI team, which he said reduced the envisaged language barrier to a non-issue during the project.

“We’re well aware of the potentials in the Portuguese market and we will be riding on this momentum in carving our niche for ourselves in the Portuguese market within Africa and beyond,” he enthused.

Disclosing that the implementation and conversion strategy adopted by Neptune Software towards this project meant that several task-works had to run in parallel.

At first, he said, Neptune arranged for preliminary super-user training for senior managers of the bank in their training facility in Nairobi, Kenya, which enabled the transfer of high level product knowledge to the bank and appreciated the capability of the BMI team in regards to computer literacy, business knowledge, product branding and configurations.

“The feedback provided by the BMI team after the training exercise was very useful in understanding their expectation and key pressing issues and focus areas of the bank,” company sources said.

In addition, a phased approach was adopted in deploying the various deliverables to the bank, citing for instance, the translation that took place in Neptune’s United Kingdom (UK) office, while a parallel implementation of the product was being executed in English by the bank’s product owners and the technical consultants.

Likewise, end user training, he said, was being organised in a training facility in Maputo with the help of an interpreter, just as the final converted products were test-run as at early October, followed by a pre-go-live data audit to ensure that the account balances and transactions are correct, even as the user acceptance test was completed by mid-November, which enabled it to go-live on December 1, 2007.

IT manager of BMI, Mr. Antonio Alafo, commended Neptune’s effort on the whole project, saying “Surely, we have seen for ourselves the reasons why Neptune has been extremely successful in its projects.”

We all knew that we had a lot of work to do in this project but Neptune’s approach made it look very simple. We were able to relate well with their consultants and they worked seamlessly with the bank. We are now geared up for our aggressive marketing campaign and launch programs on multiple value add services for our loyal customers, as we have extensively tested the Equinox UBS and are confident of its ability to stand the test of time.”

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Ayedu expresses confidence in Progenics

Manager of the Ilorin automated trading floor in Kwara State, Mr. Fola Ayedu, has expressed confidence on the technical capability of the branch based on Progenics Corp integration and ability to deliver.

Speaking on the newly commissioned trading floor, Mr. Ayedu said that the exercise would bring immense change to the capital city, Ilorin and its environs, as investors would have the opportunity of trading simultaneously with the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) Lagos trading floor, online real-time.

Ayedu, who is the erstwhile manager of the NSE Ibadan branch, reiterated his confidence on the technical know-how of the integrators, Progenics Corps, hence, he did not anticipate any technical-related hitches.

“We don’t anticipate any form of technical setbacks mainly because the company, Progenics, that handled the technological aspect of the automation of the floor has been wonderful and their skill is not in doubt” he asserted, stressing that Progenics has become an ally of NSE over the years, mostly in delivering perfect automation.

Progenics, he pointed out, has handled projects for the exchange and has never had problems and even when it does, they are always there to attend to it.

He also commended the efforts of Progenics Corp Ltd, for handling all the exchanges’ technological solution so far, including the complete automation of the main exchange floor in Lagos.

Also speaking, the managing director, Progenics, Mr. Tony Udoh said that though challenges crop up occasionally, his company has the manpower and skill that it takes to overcome them.

“Progenics has now sited its presence conveniently that it would be able to service the NSE anywhere in the country,” he said, stressing that the software, communications and network systems are the backbone of the automation project.

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Paris to host Tech-for-Food 08-symposium

France capital, Paris, would next month play host to this year’s Tech-for-Food symposium, which is second in the series.

The initiative being propelled by TV Agri press group - Agriculture & Nouvelles Technologies, has witnessed rapid growth according to the organisers by attracting more partners including French National Space Centre, Farm, IRD, Cirad, Basf among others.

The organisers also said that the initiative is aimed at facing the innovative democratisation’s challenge to fight against the essential stake of world hunger and basically on new technologies to enhance agricultural development and food security in developing countries.

The Tech-for-Food symposium has been scheduled to take place on February 26 at the International Agricultural show in Paris.

The show is expected to be an assembly of project holders from all around the world, development and technology experts, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), researchers.

The organisers also cited an instance that the use of mobile phones could not be over-emphasised as they have become true booster to agricultural trade in developing countries.

A press statement from the organisers endorsed by Ms Camille Orny, informed that new technologies, have lifted the southern countries development by way of deploying innovative technologies to enhance countries’ agriculture.

In addition satellites, chip cards, solar energy pumps, Global Positioning System (GPS) among others could not be left out.

The objectives of the symposium, she said, are to list and gather initiatives taken around the world as well as specifying propositions on some topic encompassing new technologies at the service of agriculture and the fight against hunger in the world.

Equally, Tech For Food 2008 would be focusing on web platforms and mobile phones as well as partly focus on the possible applications of internet and mobile phones, more and more accessible in developing countries.

She further said that in Africa, the number of mobile phone users have grown by 50 per cent each year in the last five years, while in South America, broadband Internet shows continued to grow with about six subscriptions for 100 inhabitants in Chile.

Just as paired on Internet platforms, the mobile phone is already a fabulous boost to access information on staple products stock exchange prices in countries like Cameroon and to train on spy markets in Tanzania.

“It also enables online trading and exchange electronic money (e-money) in the Philippines or even better adaptation to markets through production diversification in Colombia,” she noted.

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Workshop advocates quality multimedia contents

Participants at a three-day workshop recently concluded in the city of Dakar, Senegal, have called for the development of quality multimedia contents on the continent and particularly for the West African region.

Workshop participants drawn from over nine countries on the continent, brain stormed on the importance of web tools for communication, democratisation, governance and development.

The development of quality multi-media contents on blogs was highly recommended as they advised bloggers to seek autonomous platforms for hosting of their blogs so as to operate independently of the push-to-publish platforms, which may come up with terms that would not suit the bloggers.

They also considered the role of media for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use and skills acquisition as well as the importance of civil society and media for online content production, raising concerns over the innovative uses of digital communication technologies in Africa for development.

In a communiqué made available to Champion Infotel, participants recommended that journalists, media support organisations, public decision makers, civil society in general and other stakeholders should embrace Web 2.0 among other ICT issues facing the media.

They acknowledged an improved role awaits the media within the Information Society based on the implementation of strategies capable of integrating rising profile of citizen journalism with regard to professional journalism.

The workshop also called for the development and support for online ICT journalism by encouraging the creation and strengthening of national and regional journalist networks in the ICT sector.

They equally advocated for the organization of local training sessions on Web 2.0 tools aimed at journalists and gender aspect into consideration as well as the creation of follow-up and capacity building mechanisms for media practitioners on regular basis.

An improved involvement of media practitioners in the promotion and appropriation of ICT tools was advocated, while a call for strengthening strategies towards fostering journalists access to ICTs.

Additionally, the workshop called for advocacy campaigns to elaborate and harmonize legal texts governing media in West Africa so as to ensure improved freedom of expression in the region.

Participants further recognised the import of Web 2.0 to the civil society, pointing out that it would enhance implementation of their activities.

“The organization of training sessions especially designed for civil society in order to strengthen its skills concerning Web 2.0,” the communiqué stated, urging Panos Institute West Africa and partners to develop manuals about Web 2.0 tools.

The workshop with the theme: ICT and new media technologies, was organised by PIWA with financial support of OSIWA, Freevoice, DFID, NOVIB, DGIS and in collaboration with Penplusbytes and Senelogic associations.

More so, general recommendations were made concerning citizen journalism being guided by a stronger sense of ethics, to avoid drifts, such as misinformation and drawing-up policy implementation strategies that are consistent in order to develop universal access to ICTs in West Africa and beyond

The workshop pointed out that innovative implementation of infrastructure and alternative solutions for access to and use of ICTs would strengthen fixed infrastructure and campaigned for the creation of universal access to ICT funds especially aimed at disadvantaged regions and citizens.

Participants emphasised that strengthening of regulatory authorities by enthroning independence with level playing field, have proved efficient, just as they called for active involvement of civil society and media representatives within the supervisory boards of these organs.

“They will also take into account the issues at stake regarding convergence, and better integrated public concerns and promote multi-stakeholder partnership in the implementation of ICT policies,” the communiqué read.

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JPA outmoded– ICANN

Global Internet coordinating agency, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has said that the existence of the Joint Project Agreement (JPA) is no longer in vogue.

Champion Infotel recalls that on November 25, 1998, the United States Department of Commerce (DOC) on behalf of the United States Government (USG) entered a deal under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names (ICANN), a private sector driven not-for-profit organization.

ICANN in its midterm review of the JPA, a copy of which was made available to Champion Infotel, stated that though the JPA like other MoUs has been helpful.

In preparation for the mid-term review of the deal slated for March 2008, based on the modalities for the transition to the private sector of the technical coordination and management of the Internet’s domain names and addressing system (DNS), with a 10-point responsibilities, ICANN insisted that JPA obviously has over-stayed its welcome.

Consequent upon a notice of inquiry by the US government, ICANN has responded with several documents encompassing a section in its annual report; a letter of submission and a table of achievements.

In the letter of submission signed by ICANN board chairman, Mr. Peter Dengate Thrush and addressed to Ms Suzanne R. Sene of the Office of International Affairs, National Telecommunications and Information Administration located in Washington DC, noted that JPA like other MoU, no doubt, has helped ICANN to become a stable organisation.

He pointed out that ICANN has executed JPA terms, which commenced since September 2006 and has met its responsibilities under the JPA, hence, “The JPA is no longer necessary.”

Mr. Thrush also noted that the concluding part is the next line of action, which is in transition of the coordination of the Domain Name System (DNS) to the private sector, adding that this step would provide continued confidence that the original vision as contained in the White Paper is delivered.

“Concluding the JPA will not affect existing accountabilities expressed in the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) contract and United State government’s participation through the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC),” ICANN declared.

According to Thrush 13 status reports have been provided to the DoC, each including a list that outlines performance based on agreed tasks set out in the seven MoUs that were signed in 1998 as part of the JPA.

He reeled out some ICANN achievement in recent past to include introduction of competition in domain name registration services for the Generic Top Level Domains System (gTLDS), implementing the uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy for Resolving cyber-squatting and other intellectual property disputes as well as establishment of formal legal arrangements with the regional Internet Registries including the setting up of the Address Supporting Organisation (ASO).

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Sesan commends Infotech Corps

Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), Mr. Gbenga Sesan, has commended Infotech Corps for sustaining the spirit behind its finders, several years back, reports OBINNA NWOSU.

Speaking as a guest at the one-day Infotech Corps seminar held at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) at the weekend, Mr. Sesan said it was great fulfilment to see the initiative waxing stronger.

He was particularly thrilled to see that beyond focusing on members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the group has gone further to establish Infotech Club for secondary schools.

He highlighted three key issues hindering positive youthful contribution to the society, including what he tagged as ‘knowledge is limited, knowledge is useless and Nigeria is for sale.’

“With ripple effects like this, we’re about to take over the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) space in Nigeria with the projection of positive values over vices,” he said.

Knowledge, he said, is limited only to the extent to which individuals allow a glass ceiling created by themselves to exist.

“It is only limited by the glass ceilings that we create for ourselves. Some give excuses, others blame the educational system, but reality is that any serious young Nigerian can gain access to as much knowledge as he/she wants these days,” he said.

Through eLearning platforms, Mr. Sesan, individuals could learn more about their personal career paths and improve their skills to an extent that they become known as relevant stakeholders in their chosen profession.

For him, knowledge is useless when not applied, adding that a candle loses nothing by lighting others.

Nigeria’s several issues, he pointed out, present citizens and youth particularly with an opportunity to become solution providers.

“The solutions we provide can then bring us reward and maybe recognition,” he charged, stressing that knowledge is abundant but must be socially responsible to make sure that individuals add value to those around them, especially the youths.

He lamented that most young people assume that fixing their own lives at the detriment of others is the best that could happen.

“It is not. You will only be a target if you shine too bright and are surrounded by darkness. We must use our knowledge to empower others,” he advised.

He also predicted that the nation could be for sale in a few years time, if some individuals refuse to do what they are supposed to do at the right time and those who happens to be active and probably recognised could be tagged ‘lucky’ because they seem to be getting all the attention.

“It won’t be a matter of luck but adequate preparation. I say that Nigeria is on sale because smart people are learning and working hard to position themselves as solution providers in various areas of the economy,” he asserted.

Nigerians and the youth precisely, he pointed out, stand to benefit from being able to see farther into the future and possibly predict how new technologies will offer solutions to the problems facing them today.

He added that there will be two categories of youth corpers at the end of every service year, two categories of students upon graduation and two groups of Nigerians in the next few years.

“Those who will keep complaining, and others that will be rewarded for the problems they solve. The choice, really, belongs to each individual,” he submitted.

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