The lingering issue of Nigerian software are not of quality has, ostensibly, been laid to rest, thanks to the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), that recently bagged International Arch of Europe Award (IAE-Gold Category) based on ISO QC100 quality model.
By this feat, ISPON has demystified the erroneous view, blatant mindset and pseudo impression that locally produced software can not withstand international test.
Apparently, Nigeria has registered its software sector on international cadre for execution of projects in the banking, oil and gas, IT, health, agricultural, manufacturing and general industrial sector and competitions.
The IAE of Business Initiative Directions (BID) is presented in recognition of companies and organizations in different countries that further their reputation and vintage position by promoting quality culture.
The award recognizes and encourages the contributions of such body to quality, contentious improvement and customer satisfaction as well as improving relations with employees, suppliers and all associated with the company.
ISPON was officially incorporated in 1999 with five trustees and played major role in the establishment of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS).
Dr. Chris Uwaje, the ISPON’s President, also referred to as the Nigeria IT Oracle, was on ground at the Intercontinental Hotel, Frankfurt, Germany to receive the award conferred and presented to the ISPON by Jose Prieto, the president and chief executive officer of Business initiative Directions (BID).
ISPON garner the prestigious honour after the recommendation of the BID election committee made up of participants from 90 countries of the world.
On his acceptance speech, Uwaje said that the award was significant to Nigeria, as the country has demonstrated beyond doubts that it could measure up on the globally stage on issues relating to software development.
“All dreams are possible and can be actualized, if we have the will. Today, Nigeria developed software has demonstrated beyond all reasonable doubt, that it has all it takes to engage global competitiveness in the Information Technology domain of the knowledge society,” he noted.
The president however, maintained that the award could be preserved and utilized for economic boom through legislative intervention and the Federal Government issuing a circular to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to patronize Nigerian software; hence politics has been the bane of IT development in the country.
The ISPON president observed that the country, at the moment, can produce only software applications and not due for operating system, following her late entry into the ICT world.
To address the challenges, he said the country needs to establish a National Software Development Policy, Master Plan and Awareness Agenda that will affect all facet of the economy. “Is also against the backdrop that building software capacities presents immense economic opportunities for nation building. Suffice it to state that Nigeria can within the next three years earn about $10 billion USD in forging exchange annually from the software industry,” he explained.
Uwaje added that IT propelled software is perhaps the most critical and success factor for 21st Century global and national development, otherwise known as the New (knowledge) economy; and may remain for a long time the inevitable engine room for all future development.