Transcript Seizing the Opportunities of ICT for Development Prof. G. O. Ajayi

Seizing the Opportunities of ICT
for Development
Creating Enabling Policies
By
Prof. G. O. Ajayi*
Director General/CEO
National Information Technology Development Agency
Nigeria
25th March 2002
*On leave from Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
The Changing Balance of Power
Europe
Americans
2010
Asia-Pacific
2000
Africa
1990
0
10
20
30
40
50
% of Fixed Lines
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The Changing Balance of Power
(contd)
Europe
Americans
Asia-Pacific
2010
Africa
2000
0
20
40
60
1990
Percentage of Mobile Phone
Users
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3
In 1999, there were 153.3 million people
online…
Internet Access Statistics
No. Users
in Millions
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Africa
Asia and
S.
Pacific America
Europe
N.
America
Continents
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Africa has the lowest
growth in teledensity
of any developing
region in the world.
Has 12% of World
population, but 2% of
World’s main
telephone lines.
Average level of
income is the lowest,
but the cost of
installing telephone
line is the highest.
Recent Statistics has it
that there are about 3
million Internet users
in Africa with only 1
million outside South
Africa.
Internet connectivity is
0.3% of the world-wide
connectivity.
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Highest profit per
telephone line and long
waiting a period for
telephone lines.
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State of ICT in Nigeria
 Telephone Lines:
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– Fixed Lines: 750, 000 with only about 450,000 lines
operational.
– Mobile Lines: Less than 30,000 subscribers before the
introduction of GSM in Aug. 2001. Presently there are about
350,000 mobile subscribers in the country.
Plans are on-line for a 2nd National Operator. Guidelines and
Processes has started
NITEL, the incumbent National Telecoms Operator has been
privatized with government relinquishing 51% of its holdings to the
New Private Partner;
Installation of an optical fibre network along the national power grid will
soon take off;
Large number of VSAT operations for Internet Services by both the
public and the private sector.
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6
Recent efforts made by the Government towards
ICT Development in Nigeria.
 Launched the National telecommunications Policy in Sept.
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2000.
Developed a Comprehensive Science and Technology Policy
(2001).
Declaration of Biotechnology and ICT as National Priority
Projects (2001);
National Policy on Biotechnology developed and Launched
(2001);
National Policy on Information Technology developed and
Launched (2001);
Establishment of National Information Technology
Development Agency (NITDA).
National Space Research and Development Agency
(NARSDA) launched a program for the Nigerian Satellite
System.
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7
Need for an
Information Technology Policy
 The Federal government has recognized the
importance of IT as a major key to economic growth
and sustainability.
 That culminated in a Workshop on the IT Policy in
Abuja in March, 2000.
 The workshop brought together major IT stakeholders
like
– COAN, IT Association of Nigeria, CPN, all major stake
holders in the Public and the Private sector.
With the collaboration of several committees the IT
Policy was produced and was approved by the
Federal Executive Council in March, 2001.
NITDA is the implementation body of the IT policy.
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Nigerian National IT Policy
 The Vision
To make Nigeria an IT capable country in Africa and a
key player in the Information Society by the year
2005, using IT as the engine for sustainable
development and global competitiveness.
 The Mission is to Use “IT” for:
Education
Creation of Wealth
Poverty Eradication
Job Creation
Global Competitiveness
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IT Policy
Strategies for National Development
Institutional
Capacity
Building
Human
Resource Capacity
Building
Radio tower
Radio tower
Radio tower
Satellite dish
Radio tower
Radio tower
Radio tower
Infrastructure
Capacity
Building
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10
In order to seize the Opportunities of ICT
for Development, The IT policy has the
following sectoral applications
 Human
Resource Development.
 Development of IT infrastructure.
 Transformation of Governance
 Research and Development
 IT based Healthcare systems
 Re-engineering of Agriculture
 Urban and Rural Development
 Trade and Commerce
 Fiscal Measures, etc.
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Infrastructure Development
 The government through the
NITDA shall establish the
National Information
Infrastructure (NII) Backbone as
the gateway to the Global
Information Infrastructure (GII)
interconnecting.
IT Parks
Software
Development
National IT
Backbone
(@ minimum of
2.5Gbps)
Global
Information
Infrastructure
 This Backbone will interconnect
the state and the Local
Information Infrastructure.
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National
Healthcare
Databank
Optic Fibre
and
Satellites
State
Information
Infrastructure
Local
Information
Infrastructure
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The Nature of the
National Information Infrastructure Backbone
(NIIB)
State Information
Infrastructure Backbone
(SIIB)
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IT Policy Strategies towards
Infrastructural Capacity
Development
 Declaring the establishment of National Information Infrastructure
Backbone (NIIB) as a fundamental national mission;
 Planning, designing and configuring a scalable (NIIB) to achieve a
minimum capacity of 2.5Gbps, using combination of optical fibres,
satellite communications and wireless technology;
 Involving through consultations, the IT Professionals, Experts,
Universities and Research Centres, industries and business
enterprises in the establishment processes;
 Promoting high bandwidth physical connectivity using broadband
technologies as effective pipelines for large and multi-media
applications.
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IT Policy and Human Resource
Development.
Human Resource
Education
Training
 HRD shall involve the re-engineering of the educational structure with
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IT components at all levels.
This will also involve the re-training of unemployed graduates and
school leavers.
Establishing study grants and scholarships to deserving Nigerians.
Facilitate the growth of the private and the public sector dedicated
primary and tertiary IT educational institutions.
This programme is intended to produce about half a million IT
professionals within 3 years of implementation.
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The Training Initiative will
involve...
Training
Public
Servants
Administrative
Critical
Mass
of
IT Experts
Technical
Workshops
Brain
Drain
Special
Incentives
Networking
Hardware
Software
System
Administration
Integration
of IT into
Teaching
and Research
Web
Technology
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The Institutional Initiatives
seeks to….
Institutional
National IT
Development
Agency
Electronic
Governance
Government
and Private
Sector
Collaboration
3 - Tiers
of
Government
Trade and
Commerce
National
Database for
all Sectors
Bills and Acts
IT
Awareness
Federal
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State
Local
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Strategies towards
Institutional Capacity Development
 Empowering IT institutions and development centres to
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develop IT capacities initially at zonal, state and local
levels;
Facilitating the growth of private and public sector
dedicated primary, secondary and tertiary IT educational
institutions;
To establish joint Government/Private sector institutional
framework for developing Advisory Standards and quality
control;
Restructuring the educational system at all levels with a
view to developing relevant IT curricula for the primary,
secondary and tertiary institutions that should respond
effectively to the challenges of the information age;
Allocation of IT development fund to education.
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Other Sectors in need for ICT
Development Opportunities
 Re-engineering of Agriculture
 Delivery of Health care
 Transformation of Governance
 Urban and Rural Development
 Trade and Commerce
 Fiscal Measures, etc
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Agriculture
 Nigeria can use IT to re-engineer agriculture for the
purpose of
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Maximizing food production
Improving food self-sufficiency and security
Increasing output for industrial raw materials utilization.
Providing employment etc.
 Employing IT in the re-engineering of the agricultural sector
include:
– Food Security
– Introduction of technologies like biotechnology and genetic
engineering
– Aid in environmental monitoring and natural resource assessment.
– Agro vision which involve the use of metrological information with
agro-based statistical data to predict the best conditions for
exploiting our rich agricultural potential.
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Input of IT to
Trade and Commerce
Electronic Commerce
Old type
of
Trade and Commerce
Information Technology
•E-business
•E-financing
•E-banking
 Benefits of E-commerce
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On-line shopping
Marketing on the Web
On-line Advertising
Global Market Place
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How IT will revolutionize
Arts, Culture and Tourism
 This sector will be developed through NITDA
using the following strategies:
– Establishing more schools for the development of
multimedia technology.
– Providing Internet connectivity to major tourist
areas with links to all popular search engines.
– Creating Websites to Project Nigerian Culture
– Providing facilities to sell Nigerian arts and
cultural goods on the Internet
– Developing multi-media virtual gallery
– Developing low cost broadcast, video and film
industry
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Immediate Projects
 Infrastructure
 Human Capacity Development
 Mobile Internet Units
 Tele-centres
 E-Governance
 E-Commerce
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Proven ICT Benefits For Development
(United Nations: April 2000)
 ICT has been extremely beneficial to those nations that have
used it with determination and enthusiasm
e.g. Malaysia, Singapore, India, Costa Rica, and Brazil
 The positive impacts demonstrated by IT in these countries.
– Increased wealth through export of software, Hardware and IT
expertise.
– Provide rural communities with convenient online access to full
range of Government services.
– Computerized Voting Systems has removed the possibility of fraud
in elections bring about political and economic stability.
– Promotes transparency in public sector administration.
– Improves the delivery of health care services through the
application of tele-medicine.
– IT is a good Vehicle for employment generation.
– IT carves out market niches for isolated communities.
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Conclusion
Development in ICTs will eventually be
the solution to underdevelopment,
unemployment and higher earning for
many in Africa
Nigeria as a nation started late in information
technology. But with the establishment of NITDA for
the development and regulation of the industry, the
nation is determined to leapfrog to become a major
player in the global information society.