Technology has been the driving tool for growth and advancement in developed nations around the world today. However, experts say Nigeria is still playing catch up in the technology space, as the kind of attention paid to, and support given to the tech industry is minimal compare to its huge potential which has the capacity to transform the entire country for good.
Revenue generating and economy boosting industries like agriculture, education, health and financial sectors will benefit a great deal, and change the dynamics of the country with the use of technology.
Stakeholders often argue that Nigeria’s growing software industry can be used to revolutionise the country. In a way, similar to the smartphone technology boom which has now created a world shaped by the universality of the smartphone.
In emerging markets like Nigeria where mobile phones were once seen as a status symbol; largely limited to consumers in developed markets, mobile phone penetration levels have spiked rapidly, surpassing population figures – with over 173million active mobile phone subscriptions in February 2019 and majority of its population accessing the internet via mobile, which has seen smartphone ownership grow even more.
The telecommunications industry in Nigeria has constantly remained profitable, generating billions of naira for the federal government annually. Even as telcos like MTN continue to record revenue increase year-on-year.
With the limitless opportunities available on the internet, and the digital revolution which makes the world a global village, there is no doubt that technology is indeed an essential tool for transformation and growth.
According to Amos Emmanuel, president of Programos Foundation,” only technology can be used to address most of the challenges bewildering the manufacturing industry.
“Although the challenges faced in the manufacturing industry are not peculiar, the deployment of IT tools has proven to boost output and ultimately increase revenue for manufacturers.”
It has been said countless times by many industry stakeholders that Nigeria needs to stop being an importer of almost everything to becoming an exporter of its products. Manufacturing industries play pivotal roles in any economy, engendering rapid growth, jobs and wealth creation, which lead to improved standard of living; thus, there is a need to leverage on technology to meet the demand of the manufacturing industry.
“It is a known fact that our world is technology-driven and any country with the necessary technological knowhow leads directly or indirectly in the committee of nations. As a country striving to become more industrialised, a new breed of technologists must come onboard to meet the demands of the manufacturing industry, a situation that will then position us in our desired status among our peers,” said Emmanuel.
The country which is immersed in wealth of knowledge and full of young, brooding tech geeks is being tasked by the international community to use information technology and the internet to achieve economic growth.
“We have realised that road, water and electricity is no longer enough for economic growth in any country and we have noticed that the internet is essential in achieving economic growth,” said Ann Mei Chang, the chief innovation officer at the United States Agency for international development (USAID).
Jumoke Akiyode Lawanson
