Nigeria

1
Nigerias Last Chance?
Gbenga Sesan Team Leader/Program
Manager Paradigm Initiative Nigeria/Lagos Digital
Village me_at_gbengasesan.com www.gbengasesan.com w
ww.pin.org.ng www.lagosdigitalvillage.org.ng
NiPRO Global Convention 2004 Miami, Florida
December 11 2004
2
Present Momentum

• Africa must get onboard Right now! Africa
  will be either on to the Information Age or off
  to the dark Agricultural Age Africa is
  suffering from knowledge apartheid that forces
  its children to eat the crumbs from the dinner
  table of the information-affluent nations. -
  Philip Emeagwali (www.emeagwali.com)
• The same is true for Nigeria. We need to get it
  right for once, if only for the sake of ourselves
  and others whore yet to be born
• The present mobile (GSM) revolution in Nigeria
  has brought global attention. We can build on
  this momentum, and other positive efforts!
• Our national IT Policy must be contextualised
  (to show commitment and leadership) within the
  framework of the subregional processes (West
  African Regional Telecommunications Association,
  ECOWAS eCommerce initiative, etc) regional
  efforts (NEPAD eAfrica Commission
  www.nepad.org, African Information Society
  Initiative www.uneca.org/aisi, AfriNIC
  www.afrinic.net, etc) and international agenda
  (World Summit on the Information Society, etc)

3
Multi-stakeholder

• Its not a buzz word, its the new reality.
  Multi-stakeholder partnerships are proving to be
  the best platforms on which best practice efforts
  can be delivered
• The private sector needs to look beyond profit
  to consider Corporate Social Responsibility, not
  as a tax escape mechanism or forced government
  decree but as common good
• Governments need to leave politics behind and
  embrace development and planting a smile on the
  face of citizens
• Civil Society (used broadly to include the
  media, NGOs, academia and special interest groups
  including youth, women and specially abled
  people) must remain as a vital link between
  business and politics
• The effective cooperative atmosphere between
  these stakeholders in the national project will
  throw light on our dark past and give direction
  to our almost clueless future

4
Present Efforts

• Its not all about the bad and the ugly, there
  are good things happening in, around and about
  Nigeria!
• While government initiatives require no extra
  praise (since that is the idea of electing them
  to serve us anyway), it is great to hear of the
  Abuja Technology Village, integration of ICT in
  school curriculum and equipping public schools
  with computers and internet access in Lagos
  State, etc
• Civil society efforts such as the youth-led WSIS
  Policy Train www.pin.org.ng, Fantsuam
  Foundations programs in rural communities
  www.fantsuam.org, NigeriaNet www.nigerianet.org
  , www.cybercrime.org.ng and multistakeholder
  projects such as the Lagos Digital Village
  www.lagosdigitalvillage.org.ng and the Owerri
  Digital Village www.youthfortechnology.org
  reveal best practice efforts the great things
  being done by Nigerians, especially the youth
• This convention and its eventual output
  reveal the good too!

5
10-point Agenda

• For the purpose of the discussions at this
  events ICT sessions, we should look at the
  following agenda as cooperative platforms for our
  national multi-stakeholder engagements
• FOCUS on Human Capacity Development for the
  different spheres of Nigerias ICT sector
• INCREASE cooperation between organisations,
  networks, agencies and interest groups involved
  in Nigerias ICT sector in oredr to reduce undue
  duplication of efforts while maximising overall
  efficiency
• CREATE awareness on existing ICT policy documents
  (Telecommunications Policy, Broadcasting Code, IT
  Policy), and review where necessary
• ENCOURAGE active participation of young ICT
  professionals (at home or in the diaspora) in
  policy processes and the appropriate
  implementation
• ENSURE adequate financing for ICT efforts that
  will benefit the Nigerian economy

6
10-point Agenda

• MAXIMIZE the skills, energies and talents of
  Nigerian ICT professionals at home and in the
  diaspora by involving them in country-level
  projects
• REVIEW existing ICT-related school curricula in
  response to the challenges of the new Information
  Society, and introduce ICTs as an examinable
  subject in schools
• INTRODUCE ICT Technology Parks (possibly within
  the larger framework) in Nigeria, beginning with
  the six geo-political regions and extending the
  same to all states
• PROVIDE a mutually conducive operating
  environment for ICT service providers in order to
  increase access and reduce illiteracy
• THROW political, legal and financial weight
  behind Nigerias National Policy on Information
  Technology in order to fulfill Nigerias vision
  of becoming an active player in the Information
  Society.

7
Nigerias Last Chance?
Gbenga Sesan Team Leader/Program
Manager Paradigm Initiative Nigeria/Lagos Digital
Village me_at_gbengasesan.com www.gbengasesan.com w
ww.pin.org.ng www.lagosdigitalvillage.org.ng
NiPRO Global Convention 2004 Miami, Florida
December 11 2004