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KonkNaija Media | May 4, 2016

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Development in Communication Technology: An Expert’s Viewpoint

Development in Communication Technology: An Expert’s Viewpoint

| On 08, Jan 2015

 

Source: CyberNewsToday

Renowned IT Techie, Mr Chris Uwaje, says ICT growth in 2014 was impressive – but “it did not lead to IT Development”! And he asks “Could we have done 10 times better if a more constructive and innovative strategy was deployed?”

 

Excerpts

 

Analysis of National ICT Landscape informs that our ICT strategy is:

 

1. Heavily Consumer oriented and critically foreign/import dependent

 

2. Does not inspire and support large scale innovation and creativity.

 

3. Is currently not concerned about the poor state of ICT in Education with respect to Curriculum, Teachers’ Intensive Training and Capacity Building

 

4. Does not promote knowledge clusters and reward merit

 

5. Strategy does not challenge innovators and is not stakeholders inclusive – large pool of creative minds are outside the national ICT decision making process?

 

6. ICT Landscape is grossly under funded

 

7. Finally, it advocates the notion of making ICT resident in Industry rather than in the Education Domain.

 

 

 

Way Forward:

 

1. Reconstruct the National IT Policy by establishing a “National ICT Framework Bill, as the core foundation and super-layers for Nigeria’s ICT Road-map and strategic focus for national development and global competitiveness. This framework will create the required Acts that can fortify and fuel investment, creativity, Innovation, employment and constructive Regulation

 

2. Institutional Framework: Informed by the current scenario in Cyberspace, there is need to establish the office of:

 

The Information Technology General of the Federation. (ITGF)

 

3. Encourage and promote ICT Regulations that reduces foreign consumption and consciously prioritize Local IT content and Intellectual Property Rights.

 

4. Transform NYSC into a National ICT Emergency Training Camp

 

5. Retool the national ICT Curriculum and massive re-training for IT Lecturers and ICT Teachers at all levels (From Kindergarten to University)

 

6. Make Software Engineering and Development as national IT Strategy

 

7. Establish at least 10 Information Technology Knowledge Parks in 2015

 

8. Ensure that IT Professionals, Practitioners and Experts are represented at all Board levels in Government.

 

9. Create a Special IT Knowledge Bank for Innovation and Promote National IT Research Development and Mobile Innovation Competition

 

10. Fund a standing International ICT Exhibition Framework for West Africa in Nigeria – to be sustained for the next 10 years.