Any company or country that wants to win in the digital economy era would need to adopt a software mindset, says Isa Ali Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.
The minister was speaking at the maiden edition of the Software Testing Conference in Nigeria with the theme “Impact of Software Quality Assurance in the Nigerian Digital Economy”, organized by the Nigeria Software Testing Qualification Board (NGSTQB) on Wednesday, November 23, 2022, at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, Lagos State.
According to him, the importance of software in global development cannot be overemphasised, hence software powers the hardware, and most of the innovations in all sectors and spheres of life. The software has been the key to recent advancements in the internet economy, transportation, financial services, power, and cybersecurity, among others. Pantami believes the world would not have achieved much if there was no invention of software.
“The article by Jeff Lawson in the Harvard Business Review argued that in the digital economy, your software is your competitive advantage,” Pantami said. “He said ‘many companies respond to digital competition by embracing methodologies like agile, building ‘innovation centres,’ acquiring startups, or outsourcing app development to consulting firms. But the true disruptors know that in the digital economy, whoever builds the best software wins. Companies that want to compete need to empower their developers and adopt a ‘software mindset’”
He referred to a report by Synopsis Inc in the US which finds that many organisations allow software quality to lag behind other objectives, but that lack of attention comes at a steep price.
The same argument applies to any country that wants to succeed in the digital era. The COVID-19 pandemic made the importance of software even more critical as the technology industry which is powered by software benefited the most from increased adoption.
“In 2020, the cost of poor software quality in the US was approximately $2.08 trillion. That is why software quality assurance and testing is a big industry today. According to a comprehensive research report by Market Research Future (MRFR), Software Quality Assurance Market information by Solution, Deployment, Organization Size, and Region has been forecast to reach $14.01 billion market size by 2027,” Pantami said.
“There is, therefore, a need to take full advantage of the opportunities the software industry is going to play in the digital economy growth while ensuring the challenges that could hinder software quality do not thwart the progress we have collectively in the digital economy sector,” he said.
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