Precisely, for government to achieve more in the campaign, a lot of investments, education, training and re-training must be carried out to have any reasonable success in the campaign.
This submission was reached by eminent speakers on Tuesday at the opening ceremony marking a three- day maiden conference on Information Technology organised by the Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN) and World Information Technology and Service Alliance (WITSA) at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, with the theme; "Advancing the Dynamics of ICT Policy Engineering for e-Government- ADIPENG 2009."
The speakers included the visiting Chairman of WITSA, Mr. Dato' Dan E Khoo from Malaysia, the Minister of Finance, Dr. Mansur Muhtar, Zenith Bank Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Jim Ovia, Prof. Oye Ibidapo-Obe, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Mr. Ismail Radwan, Senior Economic Officer-World bank, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, Executive Vice-Chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission among others.
In his welcome address, Khoo, who was the chairman of the event, said Nigeria is a country full of enormous potentials that when full harnessed can turn the country into a super power.
He said if only there could be visible infrastructural development in areas such as power, information technology, education and others, things will improve drastically for the country.
Specifically, he said amidst the current global economic crisis, ICT can play a vital role for governments with foresight to implement innovation-based stimuli in boosting investments that can spur economic recovery and productivity growth.
He said fiscal measures that enhance ICT-based info and infrastructure not only accelerate short-term economic recovery and also prepare nation for long term growth.
The Malaysian, who commended the Nigerian government both at the Federal and state level for developing strategic ICT policy frameworks and continued drive towards its implementation.
"The adoption of ICT in virtually all aspects of the economy and society has been growing rapidly around the world, adding that, this has boosted productivity, created new jobs, enabled more efficient businesses, produced higher quality of goods and services and led to greater innovation", stressed Khoo.
He said countries that fail to implement reforms that will it out of the global recession will continue to be behind even after the recession might have been over.
To him, most developing countries are more susceptible to the crisis, "reason why an emerging market like Nigeria must look for a sector that can be leverage on, especially the ICT sector and spur needed development and growth."
The WITSA Chairman explained that an economy cannot grow alone, that there is greater need for private sector collaboration, to guarantee a sustainable growing economy.
He advised African leaders to institutionalize digital revolution at a time such as this.
"If any African economy refused to take up the advantage of digital revolution now, there may be problem for such a country, because, presently, it is the fastest growing sector around the globe. So, they must be knowledge-based economy driven by the power of ICT.
"Africa must move fast to avoid been left at the back", he said.
He added that while the emerging digital economy has produced enormous benefits, policy makers need to view ICT as the centerpiece of economic policy, ensuring that the policies and programmes they put in place will spur digital transformation and benefit societies at large.
In his own paper titled: "The use of e-payment system - the Nigerian experience, the Zenith Bank MD, Jim Ovia, said the best technology that is available in developed world is also available in Nigeria, adding that what is now left is how to diffuse it, how to ensure ICT penetration in schools, SMEs, various government parastatals among others.
According to him, government is now fully ready to support ICT, particularly in the area of e-payment system.
He said what is now left for to create an enabling environment for the successful implementation of it that will be driven by infrastructural development among others in the country.
Ovia said such technology will reduce barriers to trade, increase geographical reach, increase capital flows and will serve as a tool for engaging 70 per cent of population that is unbanked in the country.
The Zenith Bank CEO stated that the advantage of e-Payment cannot be over-emphasised, stressing that major economies around the world had long embraced it.
He revealed that the sum of over N1,035 trillion is still in circulation as at March 2009 and remained with the informal sectors of the economy and not the banking sector, flows from trader to trader on a daily basis.
Furthermore, the Visafone Chief Executive said e-payment will revolutionalise ICT industry, as people will buy more computers, more work to be done, by so doing creating more jobs and firms getting more digitalised, with banking sector making more money through loans and investments that will later drive the economy.
He listed the following as some of the advantages of e-payment, reduces time, safe cost, more efficient, to some extent fraud free, available 24/7 and it is online real time.
To the World Bank Senior Economic Officer, Radwan, e-Government is about technology development that will span across various sector of an economy.
He said ICT remain the driven force behind any sustainable development of any economy, stressing that economies such as Sri Lanka and India thrives now on their digital revolution that was propelled by serious infrastructural developments, "it is about bring technology development even to the villages, e-Development is all encompassing, so it must be embraced", stressed Radwan.
To ITAN President, Mr. Jimson Olufuye, Nigerian ICT industry is coming of age rapidly with about 10 per cent yearly growth rate.
This, according to him, is made possible by the collective efforts of the industry leaders, regulators and a listening government.
He said with such collective efforts and events like ADIPENG 2009, the road to 20-2020 is sure, stressing ADIPENG is an idea that shape the world so also its policies.
Olufuye submitted that in the contemporary world, it is ICT driven government piloted by well-articulated policies that guarantee cheetahpolevault development.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Adeyemi Adepetun
Quelle/Source: The Guardian, 23.04.2009
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