Mrs. Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communication Technology yesterday at Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) conference holding in Abuja, said that by the concerted efforts of the Federal Government to address infrastructural deficits, as related to broadband deployment, issues of accessibility and affordability are been attended to.
 
The Minister in a keynote address titled: “Driving Broadband and Technology Innovation as a Policy Maker”, said that the paradigm shift in expressed in the national broadband policy is aimed at creating and maintaining an environment where supply can meet (increasing) demand, thus strengthening the emergence of a New Economy; “one that will have economic/livelihood as well as social benefits.  The more ‘prosperous’ the society becomes, the more it will demand for infrastructure, connectivity … and the cycle continues”.

The examples I will give will show how we are enabling (much needed) investment to come into the ICT sector so that we can build the infrastructure required to provide connectivity throughout the country; and at the same time increasing the likelihood that this connectivity will translate into more than the economic gain of service providers – but the advancement of Nigerians as a whole.

According to her, the Ministry is articulate in addressing issues on connectivity as the primary challenge; making access a reality to those that will benefit the most from ICTS and creating a pipeline of content and facilitates “innovative” delivery.

She said: “A significant (communications) infrastructure gap exists in Nigeria and perhaps the most pressing priority of the Nation’s Broadband Strategy/Plan is how to fill it.

“Meeting the connectivity challenge is only one half of the task.  Policies also need to be implemented that will help to ensure that the products and services over the communications infrastructure are accessible, relevant and affordable.

“Our policies are aimed at making access to devices (PCs and handsets) easier and more affordable. Whilst promoting ownership of internet-enabled mobile phones (in recognition of research suggesting that the majority of people in Africa will access the Internet via their mobile phones) the Nigerian Government is also promoting a more streamlined deployment of Public Access Venues.

“Policies that increase access to ICTs invariably result in greater demand for content.  In some cases, the Government is engaged in the production and distribution of this content (i.e. e-Governance) whilst in others Government policy facilitates the creation and delivery of content by other stakeholders (e.g. Open Data).

“The added advantage of such policies is that its output relate directly to job creation”.

Johnson also told delegates at the CTO conference that Government has developed and implemented an IT Incubation Programme that will help Nigerian ICT entrepreneurs create successful businesses.

“Often when people have a good idea for a technology product or service they do not have the resources to build prototypes, nor the business acumen to sell their innovations.  In the past year, the Government has launch two centres where people can develop and test their ideas and get the support that they need to turn these ideas into a commercial success.  The two centres – known as “Information Technology Developers Entrepreneurship Accelerator” (iDEA) – are in Lagos (Yaba) and Cross River (Tinapa) States”.

She added that the Government has also provided a platform through which competent software developers get to meet and develop products for major Nigerian and International companies.  “The Tech Launch Pad Initiative matches key players in pre-defined industry sectors (and the specific problems they are trying to solve) with local software companies.  

“By addressing the infrastructure deficit we aim to bring much needed connectivity to Nigerians in an affordable manner,” she said.

The Minister had earlier acknowledged that in the future, people who do not have access to ICTs, and who do not have the capabilities to utilise them, will have significantly limited experiences and lifestyles to people with access and the capacities to make use of technology.

Thus, she said that the mobile phone and the Internet have literally transformed the lives of billions of people across the World; and they have done so in a relatively short space of time, however, this transformative power will grow in influence particularly as the meaning of connectedness expands in application, beyond describing human interaction, to include communications between machines.