After five months of anxious if not agonising waiting, Nigerians hope to now heave a sigh of relief that, at least, the new administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has a ministerial list to form its cabinet and get the government running the way it should.
But most importantly, Nigerians are still anxiously awaiting the policy focus of this administration on the economy in general and in that focus will be the policy thrust on Information and Communications Technology (ICT), which is the most paramount pedestal for any meaningful activity be it governance or social existence, in this 21st Century.
Past governments might have taken some steps in ICT that bring us to where we are today; yet, it goes without wasting much energies to realise that Nigeria still has a very long way to go as far as ICT is concerned. Most essential is the need to drive the nation’s economy with ICT, an approach that was only beginning to take on form as the world gallops away in growth in ICT. Therefore, it will behove the current government if it wishes to put its best foot forward, to begin by taking ICT as a cornerstone of its policy thrust – for the entirety of governance and government activities.
Nigeria, more than ever before, needs a vibrant policy that will propel ICT use in all sectors of the economy. From education to healthcare, transportation to agriculture, as well as security, every sector of the nation’s economy requires a touch of technology for optimum result.
One obvious fact the current government cannot deny is that Nigeria up to now remains an ICT consuming nation. It is worrisome that virtually every ICT product being consumed in the country today is imported; besides the painful fact and reality that Nigeria still imports devices, IT infrastructure, equipment, software and among such sundry ICT products, basic as they may be, but which are critical in the daily running of business and governance.
This untoward situation calls for a pragmatic policy that will rev up local activities in ICT innovations, such as encouraging and empowering tech start-ups. It is only then and then alone that we can be talking about local content in ICT.
The Buhari Administration must set an ICT policy target that it must achieve within the timeframe of this government. For instance, why can’t the government set a deadline for the cessation of use of imported or foreign software in running government office – from federal down to the local government level, within 24 months? By this, the government itself will realise that it must put ingenious brains to ensure they fill that gap that will open up within that period. And, Nigerians can do it.
The telecom sector, for instance, currently has four GSM operators, while the fifth, which is a product of the defunct National Carrier NITEL, is about to roll out, and of the four operating telcos, only one is owned by an indigenous entrepreneur. This again speaks to the need for the new administration to encourage local investors to play big. The government’s ICT policy should be such that encourages manufacturers to set up factories in Nigeria, which is the only way the country can get out of the league of ICT consuming nations and enter the producers’ list.
Sequel to the above is the need to protect the local industry and supporting them to grow. In a situation where it is very hard for entrepreneurs to access loans from banks to grow their business, the industry cannot grow and the local production capacity will continue to dwindle if not disappear altogether. This is another area for the government to look at in formulating its ICT policy.
In addition, one of the most daunting challenges facing the country today is insecurity and the rising wave of terrorism. And under this circumstance, the government needs not be told again that the best way to tackle this challenge is by employing technology. This must be taken into consideration in the government’s policy, such that the Nigerian military will be mentally and physically equipped with technology. But that technology must be indigenous; for, any nation that puts the workings of its national security in the hands of foreigners or foreign tech-experts cannot expect to be safe and secure.
And most importantly is the issue of broadband, which is a key technology too for economic growth. The immediate past government in its policy thrust had constituted a team of industry experts to draft a National Broadband Policy for the country; to give a clear direction of what the government intends to achieve with broadband. The drafted policy later became the toast of the industry and a model for other African countries with its well mapped out strategies and plans. But that remains the only major achievement in that regard; because the plan remained just that: a plan, on paper. The target of 30 per cent broadband penetration by 2018 as contained in the broadband plan now remains implausible. Because, even before the last government gave way, there was no feel of the broadband implementation other than discussions and references of what was on the drawing board; no funds were sunk into the project to give it visible take off and landmarks of achievements; hence, we appear to still be on the same spot.
While the current government will not need to come up with another broadband plan, as the current one has been described as well encompassing enough to take Nigeria to the desired level in broadband penetration – if implemented to the letter – it must take pragmatic actions to sustain and fast track the implementation of the policy.
Obviously, President Buhari is not an omnipotent being, he will need able hands to assist him in formulating and implementing all his policies, and this is why the appointment of a competent and skilful supervising minister for the ICT industry is very crucial. The only way the government can achieve positive result in ICT is to appoint the best hands and we challenge and call on President Buhari not to make the mistake of putting a square peg in a round hole just to satisfy political interests.
The world is waiting. But technology is not waiting; it is galloping already ahead. Will the Buhari Administration put Nigeria on the speed of technology as the world moves on? Time is not too far to tell.