The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ICT

  • Minister, NCC boss seek investment in ICT infrastructure

    Minister, NCC boss seek investment in ICT infrastructure

    Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama and Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Prof. Umar Dambatta have urged private sector operators to invest in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to bridge the country’s infrastructure deficit.

    Onyeama and Dambatta said unless the huge infrastructure deficit in Nigeria and Africa was addressed, achieving the Smart Africa Initiative would be difficult.

    They spoke on the sideline of Transform Africa Summit 2017, in Kigali, Rwanda.

    The focus of the summit was developing “smart cities”.

    The initiative, aims at leveraging technology solutions to improve efficiency of cities, has seen Rwanda rolling out a number of them such as WiFi in public areas, public transport vehicles as well as cashless payment systems in public transport.

    The initiative is backed by 11 African countries and more nations are expected to join.

    Onyeama maintained that lack of infrastructure was one of the impediments that must be addressed for Nigeria and Africa to develop smart cities.

    The minister, who stressed the need for investment in the ICT infrastructure to achieve the goal, said the Public Private Partnership (PPP) was essential to driving technology in Nigeria.

    He said: “As it was said, there is no one technology that is necessarily going to overcome some of these challenges of infrastructure.

    “What it just requires and, I think this is what came out clearly, is partnership among government, the private sector and the academia.

    “And together, these three can begin to put in place all the building blocks to have smart cities, including in Nigeria.”

    Onyeama said Nigeria succeeded in the communication sector as a result of PPP.

    He said Nigeria in the last 20 years was able to engage the private sector into providing phone lines to about 100 million people as against the 400,000 telephone lines that were there to serve 150 million people.

    Dambatta stated that inadequate infrastructure was the problem facing Nigeria’s ICT development.

    He was concerned that the Smart Africa initiative would not be realised without necessary infrastructure, such as sufficient electricity supply.

    “As a regulator, I experience some challenges of how we can drive the smart initiative. One major challenge is that of infrastructure.

    “Nigeria has about a population of 180 million, equals to the population of all the countries in the sub-Saharan Africa.

    “Without adequate electricity supply, Africa would remain a dark continent,” he said.

  • Poor ICT skills make graduates unemployable, says proprietor

    Nigerian students have been advised to acquire Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and entrepreneurial skills to enhance their employability in the labour market.

    Founder of Ajayi Polytechnic, Ikere Ekiti, Dr. Busayo Ajayi, who gave the advice at a one-day free ICT seminar held at the institution, lamented that many graduates remain unemployed years after graduation because they do not have sufficient ICT knowledge.

    Ajayi said: “ICT is the in-thing. It is everywhere. Whatever your field of academic study, you must be ICT savvy.”

    He said the non-incorporation of basic entrepreneurial trainings into academic curricular had further made Nigerian graduates unfit for the challenges of modern day life.

    “Entrepreneurship and Innovation education, especially in ICT is now inevitable, judging by the number of people that are graduating from institutions of higher learning in the last few years.

    “At least 60 to 70 per cent of them are unemployed either because they are unemployable or because they have not acquired necessary training and skills that would enable them meet needs of industries.”

    Ekiti State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Lanre Ogunsuyi, who spoke on the dangers of the internet, warned against wrong use of social media platforms which could make one potential targets of criminals and miscreants.

  • OPS invest $118b in ICT in 10 years

    Members of the organised private sector have invested over $118billion in the building of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure in the country in the last one decade, The Nation has learnt.

    Giving this insight at the weekend was Olusola Teniola, a computer and information engineer.

    Speaking in an interview with The Nation, Teniola, who is the President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), said the private sector alone is the main contributor of investment in Nigeria when it concerns ICT infrastructure.

    Specifically, he said: “The private sector has invested more than USD$68bn in telecoms infrastructure alone in just over a decade. IT systems investments are also in the high USD$50bn plus in the wider ICT space.”

    While lamenting that the federal government “Lacks the will-power or the financial capacity to fund all ICT developments across all sectors,” Teniola who also doubles as the Managing Director/CEO of Internet Solutions Nigeria, a pan-African information communication technology (ICT) firm, further observed that the lukewarm attitude by the federal government towards the development of the ICT sector was a serious cause for concern.

    “Until ICT is viewed as a critical sector in the development of our nation in this millennium, it is always going to be treated as a peripheral in the wider society. Our reliance on oil & gas as the sole foreign exchange earner is a major inhibitor in us changing our mindset. In other advanced societies, innovation, technology superiority and science are viewed as key essentials to the development of any countries future existence – this begins right from the age of five years old,” he admonished.

  • Minister to insurers: leverage ICT penetration to grow insurance

    Minister to insurers: leverage ICT penetration to grow insurance

    The Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu has urged insurers to latch on the penetration of information communication technology (ICT) penetration to deepen insurance penetration in the country and grow its contribution to the national gross domestic product (GDP).

    He lamented that the potential of the insurance industry is still far from being harnessed. Speaking on: ‘Driving Insurance Penetration With Information and Communication   Technology’ at the e-Insurance Conference organised by Pinet Informatics Ltd at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Lagos yesterday, he said the contributions of the insurance sector, which provides support to the financial institutions, has been disproportionate to the size of the Nigerian population and size.

    “The insurance sector, despite being a major driver of business growth that provides critical support systems to the financial market, has not fared well given the current size of the economy and population.

    “Information available to me indicates that there are less than 1.5 million insurance policyholders, representing a paltry 0.9 per cent of a population of well over 170 million citizens. Similarly, the gross premium of the sector is said to be less than N500 billion, implying that the sector contributes less than one per cent to national GDP,” he said.

    He expressed confidence in the performance of the ICT sector as the fourth pillar of the economy and a sector that recorded positive growth last year in spite of the recession. He said ICT tools could be used to develop innovative solutions to improve insurance practice, increase product development and expand market activities in the insurance sector.

    The suggested process, according to the minister, includes improved operational efficiency(including smooth communication between clients and company officials), office automation and optimisation, digital marketing and online marketplace for assessment and purchase of insurance packages.

    Shittu said in other parts of the world, e-insurance has already been fully adopted and various insurance products can be obtained through online insurance portals, which are programmed to tailor unique insurance packages to the distinctive individual requirements of prospective customers.

  • Experts optimistic ICT can address economic recession

    Experts optimistic ICT can address economic recession

    One sure way to address the lingering economic recession assailing the country is to harness the immense potentials in the nation’s burgeoning information and communication technology (ICT) sector.

    The foregoing submission was made by experts at separate fora recently. These experts hold the view and very strongly too that the massive growth in the nation’s ICT ecosystem shows that country could come out from its recession if only the sector is explored to its full potential.

    The sector which contributes significantly to the country’s GDP, the highest after the oil and gas, according to The Report Nigeria, shows that as at August 2014, the sector accounted for 8.5% of Nigeria’s GDP up from 5.7% in 2011.

    Little wonder the ICT pundits have suggested the need for the government to do everything humanly possible to endear local content and grow the sector to cater for the short falls in oil revenue.

    Firing the first salvo, Lanre Ajayi, who is the immediate past President Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), observed that: “For us to diversify our economy using ICT, we need to also really prepare our local brands, the software developers, the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), to ensure that they scale up the standards of their products and services.”

    According to him, “When you scale up the standard of your products and services to international standard nobody can fault what we are doing, because they all buy from the same market. For instance, to assemble a computer, there is no single company that will manufacture a computer from the beginning to the end.”

    The multiplier effect, he admitted, “The idea is to have innovation hubs in the six geopolitical zones, like two in each zone; and if we have such hubs, we want to bring ideas, bring people who have one solution or the other together, to incubate them, mentor them and prepare them for global market; and with that we will be creating jobs.”

    Speaking further, Ajayi, who is a widely acclaimed engineer observed that: “From software alone, if we really put our house in order, we won’t do anything less than $20 billion from software alone per annum. India is doing over $30 billion from software alone.”

    Continuing, he said there are lot of opportunities specifically in the area of business process outsourcing, hardware production, maintenance and repairs, including web development, hosting and maintenance.

    “There are several opportunities that are available. These are just the core areas of ICT. How about the services; that is the service sector, to drive other sectors? For instance telemedicine; what of the services that ICT can provide in that sector? What about agriculture, e-agriculture; what about the services that ICT can provide for that sector? What of tourism and culture, and the services that ICT can provide for that sector? The scope goes beyond core IT jobs when you look at the multiplier effects on the sectors. For instance, look at the medical line; you’re using ICT to run your hospital, look at it from record keeping to basic diagnosis, prescriptions, even sophisticated surgery; consider the services that can be provided by ICT experts to that sector,” ATCON boss summed.

    Echoing similar sentiments, the new president of ATCON, Olusola Teniola cited experiences from India, China, Singapore and Brazil who have relied on using ICT to diversify their economies on how progressive they are now.

    Teniola said ICT is used as the basis by these countries to develop innovative solutions, such as cars that use electric/solar power energy.

    According to him, it has been established that the ICT sector is contributing about eight per cent to GDP, yet members can no longer buy US dollars directly from CBN designated banks, a situation, he said, has further pushed the cost of doing business higher.

    Only recently, discussants and participants at the third edition of Nigeria Digital Agenda Breakfast Forum held at Protea Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos canvassed the ICT-led diversification of the economy during the event which was organised by the Centre for Cyber Awareness and Development (CECAD) an advocacy group made up of ICT experts. ICT stakeholders were of the view that if the country were to seriously look forward to an effective CHANGE in economic fortunes, there is the need to focus resources on the enormous potentials provided by ICT which will in turn go a long way in solving the lingering challenge of oil scarcity, epileptic power supply and unemployment.

    As part of their submissions, the stakeholders said the federal government must put the right policies in place to see how Nigeria, its businesses and innovations can respond to ensure a sustainable growth and economic development in a digitally-competitive world beyond oil.

    The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta stated that the Commission has clear and fundamental initiatives to encourage SMART Digital Nigeria.

    The NCC EVC who was represented by the Director of Special Duties, Mrs. Iyabo Sholanke while delivering a keynote speech said “The Nigeria Digital Agenda Forum’s main objective is to develop a digital single market in order to generate SMART, sustainable and inclusive growth in the IT industry and the economy in general.

    Speaking at the forum, Mr. Chris Uwaje the immediate past President of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON)), was of the view that proper legislation must be put in place to serve as ICT enabler towards reshaping the fortune of Nigeria’s economy for better.”

  • ICT, insurance converge on Lagos

    INFORMATION Communications Technology (ICT) stakeholders in Nigeria are set to dialogue with their counterparts in the insurance industry to generate ideas on how to use ICT to drive insurance penetration in the country and develop appropriate framework for implementing the ideas.

    The experts will on March 23, gather at the Lagos Sheraton Hotel for an E-Insurance Conference with: Driving Insurance Penetration with Information and Communication Technologies as its theme.

    The conference is expected to bring together corporate organisations, academia, consumers of insurance products and regulators of both ICT and insurance industries, to discuss how to use technology to deepen insurance penetration in the country.

    The conference, the first of its kind in the country, is being organised by Pinet Informatics Limited, in collaboration with major stakeholders in the insurance and ICT industries.

    Managing Director of Pinet Informatics, Engr. LanreAjayi, said the  event  will  bring together  practitioners in the insurance industry and ICT  to  share  experience,  brainstorm,  network, and move the two industries forward.

    According to Ajayi, the insurance industry is a vital part of the   economy  but  it  is  not  living  up  to  its full potential . “There are less than 1.5 million insurance policy holders in Nigeria out of a population of 170 million, which translates to 0.9 per cent insurance penetration,” he said.

    When compared to 23 per cent bank accounts penetration, 105 per cent of telephone penetration and 55 per cent of internet penetration, then, there is a lot of room for improvement in the insurance industry and this could be achieved by deploying the right technology, Ajayi added.

    “The insurance industry can be turned around if the industry transit to a technology-driven one, the same way the banking industry got transformed through the infusion of ICT in its service delivery processes,” he said.

  • EKSU VC hails giant strides in ICT

    The Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Prof. Samuel Oye Bandele, has applauded the recent success of the university in Information Communication and Technology (ICT) infrastructural growth.

    Bandele said this at the Special meeting of Business Committee of Senate which took place at the Senate Chambers of the university.  The meeting was held for the consideration of legacy results in the university.

    He noted that giant steps taken in moving away from manual to electronic-driven university have pave the way for accelerated development.

    Bandele noted that for the first time, students now use an effective university portal to register for courses, pay fees online and check results – a feat which he said was a collective achievement.

    The Vice Chancellor appreciated all Heads of Departments and Senior Academic Staff for committing their personal resources to the work of the university and assured them that management would respond to their needs.

    The EKSU portal Manager, Prof E.T.  Akintayo, said despite the paucity of funds, the University has employed and trained experts to manage its website.

    He said: “I am happy to note that within the last one year despite the paucity of funds, our university has achieved the first two of the three milestones.  We now have well trained members of staff that are managing our newly developed website.”

    The Chairman, Business Committee of Senate, Prof. Isaac Adanlawo, said all hands must be on deck to move to EKSU ICT infrastructural growth forward.

  • AAUA enjoys ICT project

    The Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, has been chosen to be among 14 tertiary Institutions that will benefit from an Information and Communication Technology, ICT, initiative aimed at making institutions more competitive and modern.

    This was disclosed recently when the consultant on the NNPC/SENPCO ICT Initiative, Dr. Tunde Adegbola, visited the university.

    Adegbola said the gesture was part of the organisation’s Corporate Social Responsibility programmes.

    He said that the gesture would create an enabling environment that would foster improved learning and research in the benefitting Institutions.

    He added that efforts would be made to put concrete plans in place to maintain and sustain the facilities and equipment that would be donated.

    Adegbola listed facilities to be donated to include: fully-equipped multi-purpose ICT building and software.

    He also said computer clubs would be established under the initiative, students/mentors as well as the institution would participate in a league based national software competition with rich rewards, and there would be opportunity for training for workers and students alike.

  • AAUA students get ICT scholarship

    Ten students of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA), have been awarded scholarship to embark on various Information and Communication Technology (ICT) trainings by a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), BridgeUp Nigeria Limited.

    The formal presentation of the scholarships took place at the Nelson Mandela Hall of the university recently.

    Presenting the award, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Olugbenga Ige, lauded BridgeUp Nigeria Limited, for the gesture, describing it as a step in the right direction that would further strengthen the symbiotic relationship between AAUA and the benefactor.

    Thanking the University Advancement Office (UAO), for facilitating the scholarship, Ige urged the beneficiaries, who were winners of various categories of the institution’s online competitions, to maximise the opportunities offered by BridgeUp Nigeria Limited to hone their skills.

    In his welcome address, the facilitator and Director of UAO, Prof. Francis Oyebade, said UAO has, over the years, encouraged students and student organisations to contribute their quota to uplift the university through different programmes, including, My AAUA Online Challenge, Internship, and Leave a Legacy.

    He said: “For a relatively young institution like ours, it is important to harness the roles that our students and young alumni can play in the institution’s advancement while at the same time instilling the passion to give back to them before graduation.”

    The director noted that the university has developed an annual IT Scholarship Scheme with NIIT, a partner of BridgeUp Nigeria Limited and expressed hope that future awardees would include winners of the forthcoming #MyAAUA Challenge, and other deserving students from various departments.

    Responding, the Chief Executive Officer, BridgeUp Nigeria Limited, Mr. Mayowa Akinbinu, said the firm was desirous of impacting the society, especially youths, through IT programmes.

    He added that they will continue to collaborate with the university in order to achieve its vision and mission.

    Responding on behalf of other beneficiaries, Victor Emaye, thanked the benefactor, saying the opportunities offered by the scholarship would be maximally utilised.

  • Negligence of ICT weakening Nigeria’s economy –Onu

    Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has expressed sadness over the state of the economy. Onu said Nigeria has not adequately exploited the potential of the Information Communication and Technology, (ICT) hence weakening the economy.

    The minister disclosed this in Abuja at the inaugural press conference of the Computer-Based Test, (CBT) Centre Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria with the theme: the impact of ICT in CBT system of examination.Onu said the country’s productivity capacity to compete with the world has also been weakened adding that government do not want foreigners to take away technological opportunities meant for Nigerians.

    Represented by the Assistant Director, Information Communication and Technology, (ICT) at the Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr. Adeyemi Adebayo, the minister lamented that Nigerians have not adequately exploited the potential of the ICT for its growth over the years while it over-relied on oil and gas. This negligence, he pointed out, has consequently weakened the potential that should strengthen the drive for technological self-reliance which we now urgently need to diversify our economy and reposition the nation in the place of eminence among global players.

    He, however, reaffirmed that the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology is committed to working with CPAN and to commend the association for her sensitivity to address these gaps that are unfairly denying Nigerians of its full exploitation of her venture and investment in ICT.”