Why outsourcing in Nigeria is sluggish – NITDA

Poor attitude of key organizations and stakeholders in Nigeria is stopping the development of business processing outsourcing which is capable of generating millions of jobs annually, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Peter Jack, has said.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ breakfast which held at the World Bank office in Abuja on Monday, Jack said “this is my domain mentality” of some people and organization has done more harm than good in the information communication and technology industry which is the base of business outsourcing.

He said “the Abuja technology village with 700 hectares of land has remained undeveloped. People like to control their domains but we need to partner more to unlock the huge potentials in the country.”

The World Bank defines outsourcing as the contracting of third-party workers and providers (often overseas) to supply services or perform tasks via Internet-based marketplaces. It currently contributes an estimated $100 billion to the economy of India annually.

Convener of the meeting who is the chairman of the National Association of IT Enabled Outsourcing Companies (NAITEOC), David Onu, said with the right policy and support by government, Nigeria could develop into a hub of business outsourcing in the sub-region.

“In other countries, a ratio is given by government for a number of call operators against mobile subscribers. It helps improve efficiency and customer service. Do you know how many million jobs that could provide in the telecoms and banking sectors in Nigeria?” he asked.