With limitless opportunities and positive impact that Information Communication Technology (ICT) offers, it is imperative that conscious and deliberate efforts are made by policy makers and institutions to build human capacity and promote technological advancement, writes LUCAS AJANAKU.
It is doubtful if sectors of the economy such as agriculture, commerce, healthcare, banking, education, governance, entertainment, hospitality and others can flourish without the tools of information communication technology (ICT).
With ICT, e-commerce, e-governance, e-agriculture, telemedicine and others have done well. Welcome to the new global order called digital economy.
Research Manager, Enterprise Infrastructure, IDC, Middle East and Africa, Swapna Subramani said in a digital economy, organisations adapt to changes in their ecosystem by leveraging digital technologies to create digitally enhanced, customer-centric business models. This allows for new customer experiences, improved operational efficiencies, generate new revenue streams and rapidly respond to changing conditions.
Giving IT investment mapping in Nigeria, she said datacentre hardware accounted for 50 per cent of hardware spending; software infrasructure-41 per cent; while in services, 72 per cent accounted for implementation and support services.
As Nigeria moves to join the digital economy, Communications Technology Minister, Adebayo Shittu said human capital development remains one of the challenges facing the sector.
He said: “The country does not have a dedicated institution for ICT awarding degrees. It is the policy of this government to convert the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) in Lagos and other cities into a multi-campus ICT University, perhaps the first of its kind in Africa.”
Sector analysts have also stressed the need to invest in the training of the requisite manpower that will drive the digital age. They lament that existing skill sets are not speaking to the job market. Though some original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), technology firms and other oragnisations are making moves to address this issue, more still needs to be done.
Accenture, a leading global professional services company, which provides a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital technology and operations, has made moves at inspiring creativity and encouraging youths towards ICT innovation and advancement.
The firm believes that the myriad of socio-economic and political challenges facing the nation can be addressed using ICT.
In 2008, the firm’s team forged an alliance with the Nigerian Computer Science Society (NCS) Ogun State Chapter to provide mentoring and knowledge exchange. This led to the partnership with the National Conference of Computer Science Students (NACOSS).
Speaking during NACOSS 17th conference at the Federal University of Technology (FUTO), Owerri, Country Manager, Accenture Nigeria, Mr. Niyi Yusuf, reiterated the need for the government to give priority to the development of the ICT sector.
Speaking on: The Role of Youths in Sustainable Growth of the National Development through Information Technology, he sought synergy between public and private sectors to build capacity and provide opportunity for youth in the ICT. He said the sector has the potential to create wealth and jobs and tackle insecurity. With the rise of the terrorist group, Boko Haram, homeland security has become a nightmare in the country.
“A lot of challenges being faced in Nigeria today have been experienced by most advanced countries; these problems were addressed, using the ICT,” he said.
According to him, problems such as weak economy, inequality, poverty, rapid urban expansion, insecurity, corruption and others are issues that simple ICT tools such as software can address if the necessary encouragment is given to the youth.
Yusuf said Nigerians have the capacity to solve its problems using the ICT. He argued that what is required is proper synergy between the private and public sectors.
He said: “Government should move beyond the design of dormant governments’ web sites and go into digital e-governance through partnership, research with the right bodies. Through e-governance, government can interface with the public and provide services that hitherto, looked very difficult.’’
He noted that e-governance drives accountability, transparency, equitabilityand responsiveness in government. He added that consensus, rule of law and participatory/inclusive democracy, which are major characteristics of good governance, are also enhanced.
Former President, Nigeria Internet Group, Bayo Banjo, said most of today’s greatest innovations have humble beginings. He cited Facebook and Google as some firms that started from the garrages. He urged government to invest in encouraging youths to take ICT seriously.
Yusuf agreed with him. He said most of the defining innovations in the world were acheived through youths. “A lot of these inventions were made by young people, using technology. We are convinced that if young people outside Nigeria could create jobs and wealth, using the ICT, Nigerian youths, if supported, could equally make positive marks,” he said.
Based on this belief, he said Accenture Nigeria supported the Tony Elumelu Foundation and other groups in building the capacity of youths in ICT.
Through its partnerships with NACOSS and the NCS, Accenture said it has promoted ICT education with its sponsorship of the annual conference of the association. This has translated into a significant improvement in the quality of attendance and an impressive increase in students’ participation.
About 2,700 students have participated in series of NACOSS activities in various institutions across the country. Institutions such as Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Federal University of Technology, (FUT) Minna, Covenant University and Bells University, Federal College of Education Osiele, Ogun State, Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State, among others, have played host to these activities.
The firm stressed the need for needs-based approach to its support by rewarding the conscientiousness of the most outstanding students in each ICT unit of the institutions with laptops, tablets and other IT gadgets/devices to make them work more efficiently.
Some of the inventions created by the students are: My Supervisor & I- a project management system that allows student and supervisor relationship. It allows proper documentation of their final year projects. Through it, the project coordinator assigns registered students to supervisors. It creates a platform for supervisors to relate with students, upload their projects and make corrections. It also has a chat platform that allows the supervisor to chat with the student.
It was made from HTML file, CSS3 for client site and server side PHP and Ajax.
Another one is the BizExpert-an all-in-one business manager for local business organisation. It aims to make business environment paperless and enhance workforce productivity. It helps to keep record of daily transactions, stock level, debts, and credit. It helps with profit and loss analysis, product analysis, salesperson log, sending of balance sheet through email, restock text message alert. It is indigenous, easy to set up and use compared to internationally developed business tools.
Another invention is Near Me, a mobile application that makes life easier and more comfortable by giving an edge in finding the closest and necessary places around with detailed information for the user. It acts as a great navigation tool with which one can find one’s way in a city or location. Its interface has attractive icons with speed-dial locations such as automated teller machines (ATMs), banks, hospitals, hotels, universities, police, gas stations, airport, zoo, cinema, bar, shopping mall and others with a search bar where users can search any location. Each location is attached with full details including address, images, ratings, phone number, map direction, user review and distance, estimated time. The user can add any location to his favorite list. Google voice is available to support the application as well.
The Slangz is another product from the students. It aims to promote the use of pidgin English (Wazobia) a common informal way of communicating among Nigerians. This software is a mobile app; it is a dictionary for words in the Wazobia language and for referencing purposes. The user can add a new word or slang as it is commonly called and also improve on the meaning of existing words.
Traffic Offence is a web and mobile database programme that makes it possible for traffic officers to record traffic offences committed by road users. It also helps road users to register their vehicles and drivers’ licenses online.
Traffic Offence also gives them information of amount payable for every traffic offence and access to the offence sheet of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). The software also has an Android app that will only be used by the traffic officers to check vehicles and drivers’ information from any part of the country and also record offence, clear offences after payment have been made by the offender.
Security Surveillance Software is a camera which detects sound and movement anywhere placed. If movement or sound occurs, it raises an alarm.
This solution can be used in the bank vaults, premises or places with restricted movement.
In the field of agriculture, Agrosol, is also a platform that could be put to use. It is designed to bring farmers together and provide them tips on how to manage their farms, lessons on seasons of planting and how, latest news, machinery training with video simulation. It also manages database for farmers as long as they register. www.onecrier.com is an information portal, which registers online and chooses user’s area of interest. It automatically sends messages when there is any new information about user’s area of interest.
As its further contribution to the development of ICT, Accenture said it is ready to explore the possibilities for mass deployment of these creations. To acheive this, the firm said it would be partnering a third party to help in mentoring the students on how they can improve on the software and make them marketable through putting them in a technology hub programme.
One of the ways to grow this initiative is by partnering NACOSS to host its Annual Software Competition in order to promote this initiative by taking over its sponsorship. It said it would help reshape the competition and ensure that there is continuation in the process of developing the best software. Apart from rewarding the best students with prizes, Accenture intends to help them with further development of their initiatives.
This partnership between Accenture and NACOSS has, no doubt, motivated Nigerian students.
The out-going president of NACOSS, Onwugbolu Tochukwu, said students have been more motivated and willing to put in more effort to develop software and participate in the programme.
The long term vision for Accenture’s is to grow the skills acquisition and knowledge base of the participating students and use them as end to end pipeline of breakthrough ideas that will be taken to the world market not just local; putting Nigeria on the global map of ICT development.
This journey is intended to shape meaningful ideas that will lead to Nigeria’s recognition as a valuable technology hub with incubation programmes that nurture a wide spectrum of applications created by the students – a first step towards a digital future.
