Local content: ATCON demands appropriate policies for ICT sector - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has called for enactment of appropriate Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) policies to stimulate local content development in the country, reports ITREALMS.

Speaking through the second vice president, Mr. Muyiwa Ogungboye at the quarterly forum of the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) with the theme: Local Content Development in Nigeria’s ICT Sector: Stimulant for National Economic Recovery” made this demand in Lagos.

ATCON claimed it has some three dedicated programmes for local content, namely “Professional Apprenticeship in Telecommunication Engineering, Professional Apprenticeship in Telecoms Regulatory Affairs, and Professional Apprenticeship in the production or manufacturing of Telecommunications equipment’s.”

Ogungboye who also is the Managing Director of e-Stream said that in order for the ICT sector to supplement or replace the oil and gas sector, policies which favour the sector must be put in place.

“It should be emphasized that the petroleum industry which used to be the cash cow for our nation (from a foreign exchange earning perspective) is not doing so well right now and this is a global issue that will take some time to recover,” he said.

He also said that the direct implication of this is that Nigeria may not be able to finance her budget without resorting to further government borrowing.

“ICT can as a matter of fact serve as the new cash cow for the country provided the right polices are put in place,” he said.

ATCON, he said, would like to seek the cooperation of NITRA in information dissemination of the need to fast track the implementation of local content framework.

Government, the body said at all levels must make the ICT sector a top priority in Nigeria, emphasizing need for government to increase the budget on ICT.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

Pix: L-R Aaron Ukodie, publisher e-World Magazine, Muyiwa Ogungboye, MD e-Stream and 2nd VP ATCON, Emma Okonji, chairman, NITRA, Executive Director, Systemspecs Dr. Eze and Chief Chris Uwaje, former president, Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria at the event.

NITDA, NCC team-up on resourceful ICT sector regulation

ITRealms:

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has teamed-up with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on ensuring resourceful regulation of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector, reports ITRealms.

This was the reason behind the recent visit of NITDA management team led by its acting Director-General, Dr. Vincent Olatunji to NCC under the watch of the Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Garba Umar Danbatta, at the weekend.

Head, Corporate Affairs, NITDA, Mrs. Hadiza Umar, in a press statement made available to ITRealms quoted Dr. Olatunji as saying that the essence of such a visit is to explore areas of mutual collaboration between the two sister agencies under the Federal Ministry of Communications.

He also said that ICT is one of the few options government have to diversify the economy and to build capacity to improve productivity and service delivery for Nigeria so as to cope with the present economic reality and increase the ICT contribution to nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 50 per cent.

NITDA, he said, as the Information Technology (IT) regulator oversees the overall development of the ICT industry in Nigeria to ensure steady growth of the sector, and increase the integration of ICTs across all sectors and under-served communities in a manner that supports diversification of the economy while achieving growth, job and wealth creation.

Olatunji also said NITDA has identified the challenges of ICT and the need for multi stakeholder partnership to brainstorm and formulate policy to drive the ICT sector, the agency over the years have two platforms for bringing stakeholders together to brainstorms on thematic areas identified and highlighted in the communiqué for implementation so as to accelerate the growth of ICT including the annual eNigeria conference in Nigeria and the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) which takes place in Dubai, the United Arab Emirate (UAE).

Responding, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, expressed delight with the visit and commended the Acting DG of NITDA for his brilliant strides since his assumption of office in repositioning the ICT sector, stressing that NCC will be very much interested to play pivotal role in GITEX and e-Nigeria respectively.

Danbatta affirmed that NCC is ready and willing to collaborate with NITDA towards effective and efficient service delivery to the public in the area of job creation in ICT as economic cash cow of the country.

He further called on both parties to work closely toward a pervasive penetration of ICT while taking into consideration the existing ICT infrastructures to coincide with the mandates of the two agencies.

Doris Minimah/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!
Pix: NITDA DG, Olatunji and EVC of NCC Prof. Danbatta in a handshake.