Sustaining development in the ICT sector

The dramatic rise in the adoption of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) by individuals, businesses and governments in Nigeria in the past few years has, no doubt, had tremendous impact on all aspects of our national life. ICT has been adopted in virtually every sector in Nigeria, be it health, industry, banking, oil and gas, politics and governance, or education. This is evidenced in such advances as e-passport, biometric driving licence, Bank Verification Number (BVN), permanent voter card, card reader, Osun State government’s Opon Imo (Table of Knowledge), amongst others. Indeed, ICT has facilitated cross-industry linkages, efficiency and productivity, making the banking, oil and gas, and manufacturing industries in the country so heavily reliant on it for growth.

This is a good omen as technology has been recognised as the bedrock of any thriving economy and experts say ICT is a veritable platform to aid the much-touted diversification of the Nigerian economy. We therefore join industry stakeholders to call on the new minister of communications, Adebayo Shittu, to work towards sustaining most of the good policies initiated by his predecessor, Omobola Johnson, and build on them for the benefit of Nigerians and the economy.

For instance, the former minister put in motion specific policies and legislation in order to fast-track the development of the ICT sector, including the National ICT Policy in August 2012, National Broadband Plan in May 2013, and Guidelines for Nigerian Content in ICT in November 2013. The Communications Ministry under Johnson set out to facilitate the build-out of a robust and cost-effective broadband network aimed at increasing internet penetration within the country. The new minister should therefore seek to fast-track implementation of the broadband plan, by working closely with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to begin issuance of infraCo licences to winning bidders and ensure that financial incentives are provided for these InfraCos to enable them roll out.

Similarly, in an effort to achieve greater transparency, efficiency, and productivity in governance and citizen engagement, Johnson introduced the government services portal with the objectives of creating a single point of entry to government information and services, enhancing accountability and improving the delivery and quality of public services through technology-enabled civic engagement and transforming public administration efficiency. The portal contains a location directory of existing government services that are online and working with Ministries of Agriculture, Education, Health, Industry, Trade and Investment for the ministries to automate some of their processes. This initiative needs to be sustained and improved for better efficiency.

Beyond sustaining these policies, however, the new minister should also work to address the issue of shortage of skilled professionals required to support massive infrastructure deployment, bearing in mind that Nigeria’s ICT industry requires about 300,000 skilled professionals over the next five years if the country intends to meet its lofty infrastructural development aspirations, according to the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (2013-2043). The skills shortages are seen to be more acute in the fields of software development and programming, computer security and systems network architecture, systems support operations, business analytics, web and mobile app development, caused mainly by poor training in universities and other institutions of higher learning, lack of exposure to high-tech equipment, outdated curriculum, low awareness of latest ICT trends, and the slowness of the youth to pursue industry training and certifications. Industry observers are of the view that this skills gap could hinder the sector’s contribution to economic growth and could also severely hamper ICT’s overall contribution to the productivity of other critical sectors.

Indeed, the ICT sector in Nigeria holds a lot of promise and we believe that with the right environment and better skills sets, the sector has the potential to do more. The new minister only needs to tap the right keys.