Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, has identified software as a key area of focus for the development of the nation’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.
Mrs Johnson noted that to give verve to the drive for software development, the ministry had set up the Information Technology (IT) business incubation centres committee. This committee, she said, will develop a framework that will help incubate and develop IT companies that will contribute to national development.
According to Mrs Johnson, proliferation of mobile devices and a youth generation that is technology-savvy requires support for the ICT sector to nurture, develop and push out to the market, Nigerian software entrepreneurs “that will become the Bill Gates and Steve Jobs of Nigeria and of the world.”
She said: “We have identified software as a key area of focus for Nigeria going forward for obvious reasons. There are 80 million or so mobile phones users in Nigeria today and they need software. We also have a youth population that embraces technology.
“I have met over 10 Nigerians who won competitions both in Nigeria and outside Nigeria practicing software. These are people who have gone to Geneva and all over the world participating and winning software competitions and doing Nigeria proud. And we hosted with the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), three Nigerian universities that emerged tops in software.
“So software development is going to be a priority for us going forward. We are going to use the IT incubation centres to nurture, develop and push out to the market, Nigerian software entrepreneurs that will become the Bill Gates and Steve Jobs of Nigeria and of the world.”
She advocated professionalism in the ICT sector to drive the ministry’s vision of creating a sector that will act as catalyst for other sectors of the economy.
Mrs Johnson stressed the need for professionals in the industry to work together to reposition the sector to achieve results.
She disclosed that the ministry has concluded the harmonisation of the national ICT policy, adding that the policy will appear on the ministry’s Website, www.commtech.gov.ng on January 9th, 2012, for public consultation and input.
She said: “The ICT policy will be the overarching guide of what we will do in the industry. I really believe that with the new policy we will be well on the way to making the ICT industry what it should be in a country as large, as diverse and as important as Nigeria.”
Mrs Johnson acknowledged the challenges the sector is confronted with, assuring that the ministry and relevant stakeholders will not relent in pursuing lasting solutions for the benefit of Nigerians.
“There are many challenges that we have ahead of us and we know that the one that people are most conversant with both within and without the ICT industry is the quality of service of telecom business. I will say it is bad, we all know that it is bad and the operators know that it is bad. And I will just like to say here that we are working with the NCC to ensure that this issue is no longer a problem.
“There are many issues the operators are facing including number of base stations and infrastructure that we have, but we are working hard to ensure that Quality of Service is an issue of the past.
“NCC has published Quality of Service indicators and they are enforcing them vigorously and holding the operators responsible. I have met with a number of those operators and I can assure you that they are doing all they can to improve service delivery in the sector.”
Source:http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/business/infotech/31390-ministry-to-focus-on-software-development.html
