TI and Nigeria’s goals for 2020
For a country that missed out on its second industrial revolution due to a chaotic political and economic history, that’s a potentially dire prognosis. Nigeria now runs the very real risk of not achieving what historians call the third industrial revolution: computerized digital technology, telecommunications and the Internet, which have collectively altered every aspect of life and life. It cannot be denied that ICTs can boost development and eventually help improve people’s living conditions. Developing economies that fail to register in the interconnected world can only fall into ever deeper degrees of underdevelopment and poverty.
This is precisely the fate that Nigeria spurned by adopting the ambitious 2020 targets, a sweeping plan aimed at boosting growth and establishing the country as both a regional and global economic powerhouse. Nigeria’s considerable oil wealth was squandered during decades of civil war and military takeovers, inept governance and corruption that brought it to the brink of economic collapse. Poor public investment bred endemic poverty and decimated livelihoods and traditional economies. The transition to civilian rule in 1999 opened the doors to much-needed reforms and a rethinking of national priorities. No longer content with its third world heritage, Abuja approved plans for accelerated and sustainable development within a given time frame. However, your existing IT infrastructure and initiatives continue to be far less than adequate.
In fact, all of West Africa suffers from endemic “information poverty”, and Nigeria is certainly no exception. While current data is largely inadequate or non-existent, records are unanimous that the country received its first digital computer in 1963. Installations remained low even after many universities, government departments, and public sector companies had acquired some amount of computing power by the late 1970s. While the number of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Internet cafes increased over the years, IT development received little official encouragement in the last century. Abuja, in fact, did not have an IT policy until 2001, when it finally established the National IT Development Agency with a grant of $28 million. Tasked with making Nigeria “a key player in the information society”, the agency has been widely criticized for its ineffectiveness and for failing to align with other national policies.
The synonymy of digital expansion and economic development is an obvious inference in this case. Nigeria’s IT potential has been significantly lacking and consequently its efforts to drive rapid business development in all sectors have not achieved the expected levels. The country’s long-term development goals largely depend on its IT capabilities, but this challenge is also an opportunity.
As of 2001, there were more than 500,000 companies operating across the country, engaged in manufacturing, service, retail, and wholesale. Most of these companies will benefit from IT products, services or training. Nigerian software developers can greatly contribute and benefit from this situation. The growth curve for locally developed IT is potentially steep.
Although there is little empirical data to support it, Abuja insists that proactive policies, especially those adopted since 2000, have increased IT leakage and application in various sectors. That there is some truth to the claim is confirmed by a visible increase in Internet accessibility (through a proliferation of Internet cafes, especially in urban centers) and the growing popularity of web-based services such as electronic banking and online advertising. The following are some of the remarkably encouraging developments for IT Nigeria so far:
o Nigeria signed the African Regional Satellite Communications Organization for multimedia telecommunication services in 2001, visibly increasing government involvement in IT.
o The Nigerian Telecommunications Company (NITEL), a government-owned monopoly, was privatized in 2006 to encourage private sector participation and innovation in IT and communications.
o Multinational corporations have led the way in introducing online banking which has started to gain popularity among resident and expatriate Nigerians.
o E-commerce initiatives in the B2B and B2C segments have been running successfully, even if most of the content and IT equipment has had to be fully imported.
By themselves, these measures are obviously not enough to promote IT as a growth fundamental. Nigeria has to undertake a series of coordinated initiatives to meet its IT obligations and most importantly to drive and capitalize on the digital revolution. The most pressing requirements in this regard are:
o Improve the telecommunications infrastructure, update communication techniques and improve the reach of mobile telephony and fixed line services in rural and urban areas.
o Improve basic computer skills and advanced IT education through a structured review of the education system; specific focus on tertiary institutions offering engineering programs.
o Sponsor indigenous software on imports, fund research, and promote public-private sector cooperation for innovation and enterprise in the IT sector.
o Develop strong policies that propagate IT as a crucial component of business culture; encourage IT-enabled practices as a means of governance and administrative optimization.
o Active promotion of procedures that introduce computerization and IT in the industrial process, through the use of advanced digital technologies and office automation systems.
For Nigeria to realize its business potential in time for the 2020 targets, a massive revitalization and streamlining of its IT development initiatives is required. Abuja must realize the importance of building entrepreneurship in the IT sector to ensure inclusive growth and sustainability. Provided it is properly adjusted to the realities on the ground, a digital revolution is undoubtedly the key to poverty eradication by enabling broad business development and wealth creation. The challenge facing Nigeria today is essentially the use of information and communication technologies in a way that gives the widest benefits and contributions to the digital world.