By: Elvis Kolawole
On September 2019, Minister Of Communication, Dr. Isa Pantami, spoke at a session of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU Telecom World 2019) in Budapest, Hungary.
He said: “The government wants to sustain the steady growth of ICT in the country hence the need to attend events like these, which will enable delegates’ network and get the best ideas. And when we return home, we put all of them to work towards the development of our country”.
This statement comes at a time Minster of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu appears to harbor great ambitions for that sector. This shows that the right intentions might be there, but the necessary execution is lacking.
For a while, the contribution of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product has surpassed that of the oil and gas sector. This is probably because most of the big players in the sector are foreign.
This also shows that there has been significant growth in the ICT sector of our economy – a key indicator that technology is playing a bigger role. However, even a passive observer can see that there’s still a long way to go before we have a truly technology-driven economy.
For those who might not know, Silicon Valley originally referred to a region in the southern part of San Francisco’s Bay Area. These days, “Silicon Valley” is also used when referring to the American Technology Industry in general. It’s a world-renowned hub for technology-based companies boasting the presence of some of the world’s most innovative and valuable companies like Netflix, Facebook, Apple, etc.
Accounting for about a third of all venture capital investment in the US, it is a thriving ecosystem with a GDP per capita that can rival most countries in the world – including Nigeria.
There’s a lot Nigeria’s growing economy can learn from Silicon Valley. Such success might be a complicated task to replicate but Nigeria (the public & private sector) can learn these lessons:
Acceptance of New Ideas
In the state of California, non-compete clauses are prohibited. This means an employee can start a new company that’s in direct competition with the one he/she was previously employed to. This scenario is usually caused by the need to test out new ideas or challenge old ones, and it happens quite frequently. New ideas are the very lifeblood of Silicon Valley.
They understand that a fresh perspective can increase profits, start new ventures, or even create an entire industry out of nowhere. As such, many mini industries have been created within an already massive sector, thereby yielding huge economic returns.
In Nigeria, swift acceptance of new ideas, methods, etc is hardly a feature of any industry. In cases where new ideas are accepted, there seems to be a lot of hurdles (such as bureaucracy, backward policies, etc) on hand to derail its implementation.
As a nation, Nigeria and her people have to do everything necessary to bring down barriers facing innovation. There should always be new ways of solving old and new problems, and this ingenuity should be greatly rewarded in all organizations nationwide. Doing this would give us a big edge and help move the agenda forward.
Talent is a must- have
Nothing great is ever achieved without the best human resources on board. Therefore, emphasis should be placed on making the country an attractive place for the best talents. In recent years, there has been a dramatic spike in the number of highly skilled individuals leaving Nigeria for more developed countries worldwide.
Curbing this trend and taking proactive steps to make the country attractive to some of the best minds worldwide is the right way to go. Whether it’s enticing people with juicy incentives, or dramatically improving the ease of working and learning, anything done to retain and attract bright minds is a step in the right direction.
Diversity is a Blessing
Between 1995 and 2005, more than half of the startups in the area were founded by immigrants. Silicon Valley prides itself on attracting some of the world’s best developers, entrepreneurs, etc and creating a comfortable atmosphere for them to thrive.
In Nigeria, there’s an element of friction which makes it tough for people of all tribes, religions, etc to truly coexist and work as an efficient unit. Removing this friction would help level the playing field so that people from different backgrounds can contribute their best without unnecessary disruption.
The customer is #1
For companies, the customer is the final consumer of their product/service. For the government, the customer here refers to the people it governs. The interest of these people must be paramount in every decision and action taken.
In silicon valley, most of the fastest growing companies are those adept at understanding the customer’s needs (both spoken and unspoken), finding solutions to those needs, and getting these solutions to the market as quickly as possible.
Many business plans are centered on an ability to predict the consumer’s needs/problems and creating a framework for solving them in the shortest possible time. This problem solving capacity with people at its heart is why so many of these companies are formed and why many others can grow at an alarming rate.
If the Nigerian Government and Nigerian Companies can place their customers (the electorate and final consumers) at the center of all thought processes, they’re likely to see similar consistent results.
Investment is vital
Of course, money is a huge factor in keeping every industry afloat. Often, it’s the difference between those who’re able to make things work and those who don’t. Such is the amount of faith shown in technology from the world’s largest economy.
Concrete steps have to be taken to significantly improve the country’s business climate. A better business environment would inevitably lead to more foreign and local investment. If Nigeria wants such significant results, we have to put our money where our mouth is – something Americans are clearly doing.
Cooperation brings dividends
In every part of the Valley’s ecosystem, there’s evidence of collaboration. This is one of main reasons they have an edge over other tech hubs worldwide. From the government, companies, consumers, and everyone in between, there’s a longstanding culture of freely exchanging ideas and helping out each other which eventually leads to mutual gains.
Universities collaborate with big companies in many ways that create value for both parties. For example, a university can carry out research to gain vital information or make breakthroughs in a difficult field. In turn, a big company can help fund this research and offer employment to the university’s graduates.
In Nigeria, the spirit of cooperation in all levels of many organizations seems poor. Spectacular feats are hardly ever achieved alone, and it’s no different here. Seamless collaboration between all parties is key if such success is to be replicated.
In every point highlighted above, one thing stands out – the fact that actions have to meet intent all the time. As previously shown, the country’s leadership appears to have the right intention. However, the implementation of these lofty ideas is a whole other issue that cannot be covered within this article.
In Silicon Valley, the birth of an idea, product development, funding rounds, all the way to launching and scaling in the market can happen in the twinkle of an eye. This is because they’ve learned that swift action is even more important than bright ideas; because it’s actions that directly affect the balance sheets and not mere words. If this advice can be heeded and action is taken swiftly, Nigeria could be well on her way to being Africa’s new tech juggernaut.
