Confirming the Public and Private partnership between NITDA and Chams Consortium, Prof. Cleopas Angaye , the NITDA Director General told Vanguard Computers &e-Business in a telephone interview on Monday said that the Memorandum of Understanding, (MoU) has already been signed last week between NITDA and Chams Consortium for the implementation of the capacity building initiative which is under the Millennium Development Goals framework for more internet access and computer awareness among Nigerians.
“It will extend mobile internet units and e-payment services in the rural areas of the country. We have provided the enabling environment for the program” he said
“The MoU has already been signed. It is effective. Implementation will start immediately. The scheme is to provide computer access and more IT awareness to underserved rural areas. I expect it to start in full swing and empower more Nigerian citizens” Angaye noted.
With optimism, the NITDA DG said that the programme when fully implemented will go a long way in enhancing universal access to ICTs in the rural areas of the country, where he said that the majority of the country’s population reside.
Similarly, the General Manger of Chams Nigeria, Mr Kazeen Durotoye has said that funding for the capacity building initiative would be made available by Chams Consortium while the IT development agency, NITDA, would provide the enabling environment.
E-governance service, including online tax payment, e-passport, and registration for national identity card, telephony and banking, among others, according to him are some of the uses of the platform.
The project when fully implemented, according to him, will go a long way in enabling NITDA to achieve its mandate as a development agency and also provide employment for many more Nigerians said to be roaming the streets of commercial nerve centers of the country.
In addition to this, he said that the initiative will empower more Nigerian youths and prepare them for the 21st century knowledge society. The scheme which will provide a comprehensive one-stop payment system across the nation has a kiosk based e-self-service and information terminal system.
The PPP initiative, Vanguard Computers &e-Business gathered means that NITDA will provide the Mobile Internet Units, which are minivans with Internet capabilities to the Chams consortium. Each of the MIUs, it was learnt, will house five computers and three kiosks/ATMs to give the end users the capabilities to browse the internet as well as using other complementary services including online shopping to make payment in e-platform.
Under the current arrangement, Chams, it was gathered would deploy one mobile banking unit truck, infrastructure in each state of the federation and the Federal Capital territory in order to facilitate project design, development, implementation and technical support.
With the PPP, there is arrangement for the provision and deployment of one stationary booth comprising five Chams Access Service terminals, one ATM and three point of sale terminals in each of the 74 local governments across the country.
In addition to this, no fewer than 5,000 more terminals would be deployed in various hospitals, higher institutions, and the Federal government secretariats nationwide.
Autor(en)/Author(s): Emeka Aginam
Quelle/Source: Vanguard, 23.10.2007
