Mrs. Omobola Johnson, minister of Communication and Information Technology, has described technology as a source of development as well as an enabler of development.
Johnson pointed out that economic growth is brought about by the increase in size and productivity of the ICT sector, through investments and an increase in the adoption and use of ICT tools which lead to job creation and self-employment opportunities.
She spoke at the Business and Networking Lunch organized by Alumni of King’s College, Lagos, under the umbrella of the King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA) in Lagos.
KCOBA converged to discuss ICT development in Nigeria and the minister said that, in terms of welfare, , that applications designed to facilitate effective delivery of education, health, security and other basic needs have helped to increase social welfare.
However, Johnson pointed out the challenges faced in the industry such as vandalisation of ICT infrastructure, insecurity and inadequate electrical power supply for operations.
“In addition to these issues, local participation in key ICT areas is sub-optimal due to inadequate skills and an unsupportive enabling environment”, she said.
In view of this, the minister said that one of the Ministry’s mandates is to formulate enabling policies, laws and regulations that will make possible seamless access to communication infrastructure in all spheres of life.
Johnson articulated the ministry’s four pronged approach strategy in delivering the promises of the transformation agenda and leveraging the opportunities in the industry for socio-economic development.
They include; building a ubiquitous broadband infrastructure, promoting device ownership for every Nigerian, encouraging local content development and engendering transparency, efficiency and productivity in Government and Citizen Engagement.
Mr. Hakeem Belo-Osagie, president of the KCOBA, in his opening remarks disclosed that the objective of the business meeting was to create platforms that will enhance networking for career advancement and business growth between one time students of the institution as well as other distinguished members of Nigeria’s private and public sectors.