FG, experts address $2bn annual loss to ICT import

Worried by annual loss of $2 billion to ICT importation in Nigeria and amid pressures on accessing forex for sustenance of such, Federal Government and ICT experts, Thursday, met in Abuja to find diverse ways to address poor local content participation in ICT for wealth creation.

Adebayo Shittu, minister of communications technology, represented by Moni Udoh, the director of ICT in the ministry, said: “Government targets 30 percent increase of ICT contribution to the economy utilising the local content policy framework within next few years.”

ICT currently contributes 8 percent to the GDP, which experts say with more local content participation and patronage, software developers, Original Equipment Manufacturers partnering the government, could advance the contribution since the Federal Government had launched the local content policy since last three years.

Adebayo, in his submission, said: “The ICT hub in Calabar, Cross River State, and Yaba in Lagos State, in addition to the office of National Content on ICT, are guiding software developers on quality control, infrastructure maturity, and quality of services to ensure they are global standards.”

In addition, Vincent Olatunji, acting director general of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), said: “We want to see a situation, whereby we could do a minimum of 50 percent of local content in the next few years.

“We are working with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), software developers, service providers through our ICT hubs, and monitoring closely what they are doing to ensure acceptable standards.

“The latest figure from National Office for Technology Acquisition and Programme (NOTAP) is $2 billion. Part of our plan now is to have a National ICT Programmes to measure impact and level of usage of our local products. Our scan ICT Programme takes charge of that.”

Meanwhile, David Onu, an expert in the ICT sector, said: The public and private put together spends between $2-3 billion annually on imported technologies. The local content participation is still very insignificant, and is not good for us as a country.”

 

Harrison Edeh