EXPERTS HIGHLIGHT IMPORTANCE OF ICT TO NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT



Experts in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry have decried attempts by policy makers to find a lasting solution to the development challenges facing the country without a significant role for ICT. In their view, ICT is pivotal to the development of any nation and as such, any development model without a concrete plan for ICT’s contribution is doomed to fail. Much of the developed world’s economies are underpinned by ICT even as it takes the front row in the development agenda of emerging market economies including the BRICS.
  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (the BRICS) have built their economic development models around ICT. The importance of ICT in economic development is evident in the industrial and technological hubs of Shanghai in China, Bangalore in India, Sao Polo in Brazil, Johannesburg in South Africa and Moscow in Russia. These centers are known for their technological advances in the realm of aero, automobile, computer software and ICT technologies.
Importance of ICT

Over the last few years, ICT industry has grown to be one of the biggest contributors to economic growth and development. Studies put ICT spending globally in 2011 at over $1.6trillion while global value of ICT opportunities is estimated at over $200trillion. “ICT contributes meaningfully to knowledge management, allowing seamless communication of information and intelligence for real time production around the world,” says the President of Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON).
ICT has been the main driver of globalization even as it made the world smaller; reducing communication costs and time between hitherto distant places. The birth of the internet spurned new industries even as it brought to life new media. Information dissemination has not been this fast prior to the advent of the internet. Indeed, ICT has revolutionized and shaped most industries/sectors; including defense, education and the financial services sectors. The defense and financial services sectors of advanced economies rely heavily on ICT for critical activities and has become a backbone of these sectors.

Challenges of ICT in Nigeria

As most developing countries are harnessing ICT for development, experts say Nigeria is yet to fully engage and leverage on ICT for national development. They outline several challenges hampering the effective deployment of ICT for development purpose, some of which   include; legal, regulatory and institutional challenges. Piracy, according to a commercial lawyer, will continue to take its toll on ICT development in the country if nothing urgent is done by government. The infringement on Intellectual Property (IP) rights has prompted the call for a national IP and innovative knowledge strategy. “We must become a nation of IP creators and owners to progress” he says. According to him, bridging the digital divide means finding a niche in the global division of labour and championing a Nigerian knowledge engagement in the software domain; so that the country will move up in the value-chain of knowledge development in ICT.
“Software development is the driver of economies worldwide and will certainly enhance employment generation,” says former Executive Vice Chairman of Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC). Aside employment generation, computer developer says development of software will generate revenue for the country.
Cyber security challenge arising from frequent hacking of ATM and bank accounts poses significant challenge to ICT development as potential users of ICT powered devices and services shy away. This has been a knotty issue for ICT experts in Nigeria over the years. The recent registration of SIM cards by NCC across the country has given a ray of hope as observers say the exercise will significantly tackle a frontier of cyber crime.
Though Nigeria has made tremendous progress in accepting and deploying ICT, it is still a far cry from the potential. With about 160million people and high computer illiteracy rate, analysts believe Nigeria can do better if more effort is put into enlightenment campaign and capacity building. “A lot more can be done to improve ICT through awareness,” says a software vendor.
On the way forward, observers commend government’s efforts to promote electronic payments system in the country. More importantly, they urge the government to intensify effort to provide infrastructure that would support ICT development such as electricity and also move to check cybercrime. “There is a growing and active hacking network in the country. We must move to check them before they outgrow the security apparatus such as the deadly Ananymous and LuzSec global hacking network,” says a cyber security expert.
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