Enhancing Local Innovation, Technology Devt in ICT Sector
With globalisation and increased competition, there is need for Nigeria to empower techies, especially the start-ups to create local innovation that will drive development in the Information and Communications Technology sector, writes Emma Okonji
The initiative of NITDA in developing the local content guidelines, no doubt, is to promote skills in ICT that will advance the course of Nigeria in global competitiveness
Today, the world is fast advancing to the era of Internet of Things (IoTs) and the connectivity of devices and people, with a global projection by the International Data Corporation (IDC) that IoT market would grow from $1.3 trillion in 2013 to $3.04 trillion in 2020 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13 per cent.
The forecast by IDC has started manifesting, following the number of connected devices and people that are already running into billions.
All these are being made possible through the drive for local innovations in ICT at different regions of the world, and Nigeria must not be left out.
In order to be part of the global competitiveness in promoting local innovation, the National Information Technology Development Agency ((NITDA), the agency that is responsible for ICT policy planning and implementation, in 2013, came up with guidelines for the Nigerian content development in ICT, which seeks to promote local content and local innovation in the ICT industry.
Moved by the need to support NITDA in enhancing local innovation in the ICT sector, Etisalat Nigeria, last week, sponsored a seminar organised by the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA), with the theme: “Engendering Local Innovation in the Telecoms Sector.” NITDA’s plan for local innovation As the government agency responsible for ICT policy implementation and planning, and with a strong determination to promote local content and innovation in the ICT sector NITDA in 2013, developed guidelines for Nigerian content development in ICT, with a view to promoting local innovation in the sector. The formulation of the guidelines, supervised by the Ministry of Communications Technology, which took effect from December 3, 2013, seeks to enable the local ICT industry to contribute meaningfully towards the achievements of national development targets. It seeks to promote the production, sales and consumption of high quality ICT products and services, developed by indigenous companies that will serve the unique needs of the local and global market.
It also seeks to facilitate efforts to build capacity and equip Nigerians to serve as active workers and participants in the local ICT industry.
The initiative of NITDA in developing the local content guidelines, no doubt, is to promote skills in ICT that will advance the course of Nigeria in global competitiveness. As a government agency, it is its duty to implement policies that will engender local innovation, if Nigeria must catch up with the rest of the world in technology advancement. But it is one thing to develop guidelines and policies geared towards capacity building in local innovation, and it is another thing to enforce its implementation. Without enforcement, those who are supposed to develop local capacity may not see it as a primary duty to do so. Government must therefore insist on enforcement and if possible, incentivize them in order to achieve results.
Some stakeholders are, however, of the view that engendering local innovation goes beyond incentivizing the operators. According to them, but government should create the enabling environment for telecoms operators and all ICT stakeholders to grow their businesses. When this is achieved, individual operators will begin to think of initiatives that will promote local innovation in the ICT sector, they said. Etisalat’s passion for ICT development Addressing stakeholders at the sponsored event, Etisalat spoke on the need to promote local innovation in the ICT sector to enable Nigeria catch up with global technology trend, where different regions of the world are coming up with indigenous creativity such as software programmes that are tailored to meet individual and societal requirements, which of course, are currently driving the world.
In the light of this that Etisalat promised to increase its involvement in local innovation that will further drive development in the telecoms sector. The telecoms company has therefore encouraged other telecoms operators to do more in grooming young talented techies in Nigeria, who Etisalat said, are in a better position to drive local innovation in the ICT industry.
Vice President, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs at Etisalat, Mr. Ibrahim Dikko, who was represented by the company’s Public Relations Manager, Chineze Amanfo, said Etisalat has been at the forefront, promoting local innovation in the telecoms industry, and promised that the company would do more in engendering participation in local innovation in the telecoms industry, especially now that the subscriber number across all networks is increasing daily, with its current figure put at 142 million active subscribers.
Speaking on its current initiative where Etisalat is partnering Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria in the training Telecommunication Engineers, Dikko said:
“Apart from the training, Etisalat Nigeria is also sponsoring top three students from the first year of the Etisalat Telecommunications Engineering Program (ETEP), for intensive training at the Etisalat Academy in Dubai.”
According to him, as the programme continues, Etisalat plans to train 15 to 20 students yearly to give Nigerians an opportunity to learn from the best in the field of Telecommunication Engineering, and by so doing, we are developing local expertise in the ICT industry.
The Etisalat Telecommunications Engineering Programm, organised in conjunction with the University of Plymouth, UK and Huawei Technologies Limited, is the first program offering an M. Sc in Telecommunications Engineering in West Africa, an initiative, Dikko said, would engender local innovation and technology development in the ICT sector. NCC’s regulatory overview Commending Etisalat for its initiative in driving local capacity building that is geared towards engendering local innovation in the telecoms sector, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Eugene Juwah, who was represented at the seminar by NCC Commissioner, Dr. Mike Onyia, called on other telecoms operators and industry stakeholders to emulate Etisalat in its move to promote local innovation in the telecoms sector. “We hope that other service providers will borrow a leaf from Etisalat in deepening capacity and skills in the ICT industry,” Juwah said.
According to him, from a regulatory point of view, innovation is key to the telecom industry.
“After the initial discoveries and development in the telecom sector, it is innovation that has catapulted growth in the sector to the height that it has achieved today. Innovation in the industry is also an attribute that is not exclusive to nations or states. The ready examples of uncountable number of apps developed in different parts of the world, riding on all available networks or platforms, shows that innovation is driving the industry,” Juwah said.
“You may be aware that the Commission has adopted technology neutrality in its licensing process. The reason for this is to provide opportunity for creativity and innovation in the provision of services. Restriction of service to specific technologies may not allow for innovation. Provision of choice with the entry of multiple providers, and encouraging competition using regulatory tools is also designed to encourage local innovation in the provision of services. It is well known that innovation provides mutual benefit to bother the service provider and consumer of the service,” Juwah added.
He promised that NCC would continue to encourage innovations in all aspects of the industry.
“It is also appropriate to predict that when broadband services become very much available in Nigeria as planned, it will also come with inevitable push for more innovations in the ways services are delivered today,” he said. Stakeholders’ views Chairman, Zinox Group of Companies, Leo-Stan Ekeh is of the view that capacity building is key to innovation that will drive development in the ICT sector. He called on the federal government to invest heavily in ICT, in order to promote local innovation in the sector.
Chief Executive Officer of Teledom Group, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, emphasised the need for creativity and innovation in the telecoms sector, and advised Nigerians not to give up to the challenges associated with local innovation, since innovation is key to telecoms growth.
“Nigerians should continue to innovate and technology savvy Nigerians should be identified and trained for future development and creativity in the ICT industry. Government must also encourage telecoms operators and other industry players to achieve this,” Ekuwem said.
Chairman, Information Technology Systems and Security Professionals (ITSSP), Mr. Rogba Adeoye, called for increased broadband deployment that will drive broadband traffic across the country. According to him, there will be no meaningful development in local innovation in ICT if there is shortfall in the deployment of broadband across the country. He also spoke on the need for government to address social insecurity among Nigerian youths in order to channel their creativity to national development.
Capacity building is therefore key in promoting local content and engendering local innovation, if Nigeria must be part of the global competitiveness in technology development.