Besides, stakeholders in the sector have enumerated ways of improving on the industry’s 2012 performance in 2013, with a call for a drastic resolution in tackling various impediments that hindered the expansion of broadband services in the country and poor telecommunications services.
The Communications Technology ministry, headed by Mrs. Omobola Johnson, in a document title: “Ministry’s Achievement in the past 12 months”, stated that the ministry has four main priorities which included connect Nigeria- through the facilitation and provision of a ubiquitous broadband; connect Nigerians by providing access to infrastructure and device ownership to promote inclusive development; promote local content by promoting local value added in the industry in the area of hardware, software and the promotion of ICT in Government- by facilitating eGovernment to ensure transparency, efficiency, productivity in governance and citizen engagement.
The document, signed by the Special Assistant to the minister on media, Mrs. Efem Nkanga, noted that device ownership penetration shows that ownership rate in personal computers currently stands at 4.5 per cent and is expected to increase to 12 per cent by 2015. The ownership of mobile devices rate in the country stands at 60 per cent with an expectation of 80 per cent increase by 2015.
The Ministry’s achievement in the area of content/applications show that the number of government services delivered online increased from 10 in 2011 to 30 in 2012 and was projected to increase to 100 by 2015.
Besides, ComTech ministry claimed that the number of Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) with effective websites increased from 370 in 2011 to 420 in 2012, adding that by 2015, all the MDAs will have effective websites.
According to the ministry, verified mobile money agents currently stand at 3000 and is expected to increase to 50,000 by 2015, adding that the total value of mobile money transactions currently stands at N228m and is expected to increase to N151 billion by 2015, while total volume of non-store shopping increased from N62 billion in 2011 to N77.5 billion in 2012. The ministry said this figure will increase to N658 billion by 2015. It stated that over 382 MDAs connected in Abuja and other parts of the country.
The ministry said it achieved a remarkable progress in its Connect Nigeria project by facilitating remarkable progress in the access to ICTs in the country.
Teledensity ratio in the fixed line access, according to the ministry increased from 0.51 per cent in 2011 to 1.5 per cent in 2012. “The ratio will increase to 10 per cent by 2015. Ratio of mobile subscriptions increased from 68.49 in 2011 to 71.54 per cent in 2012. Ratio will increase to 97.69 per cent by 2015. Access of rural population to ICTs increased from 1.5 per cent in 2011 to 1.65 per cent in 2012. Mobile phone coverage in the rural areas stands at 40 per cent in 2012 and is expected to hit 60 per cent by 2015 and 100 per cent by 2017.
“Speed of broadband access has increased from 1.0 in 2011 to 1.8 in 2012. It is expected to increase to 5.0 by 2015. While cost of broadband subscription (3GB package/yr), has reduced from N93, 000 to N72, 000 in 2012. It is expected to go down by 50 per cent by 2015.”
The Ministry said it developed and submitted the first National ICT policy to the Federal Executive Council and got an approval in principle in August.
Against perceived lull in broadband services in the country, ComTech ministry said a presidential committee has been inaugurated by President Jonathan and which will soon submit a report that will facilitate the development of broadband strategy and roadmap for national development, adding that in
collaboration with the ministry of works, in 2012, it developed new Federal Right of Way guidelines that will ensure QoS delivery within the industry.
The ministry also collaborated with the environment ministry in 2012 to reduce approval times for erecting base stations in order to promote infrastructure deployment and improve service quality.
In order to further improve quality of service delivery of telecoms operators, the ministry mandated the NCC to ban all promotional activities negatively impacting quality delivery of telecoms services.
The Ministry said is championing the creation of a critical infrastructure bill that will protect communications infrastructure in the country.
To deepen PC penetration in the country, the ministry in November 2012, launched a student PC ownership scheme that will enable students in tertiary institutions own a PC for as little as N3, 500, with an added advantage of the scheme creating a captive market for local assemblers.
Boosting this in initiative, the ministry said is working to ensure that made/assembled in Nigeria brands are more favourably positioned to achieve the national objectives of job creation, domestic value added and growth in the ICT industry.
On software development, ComTech launched a technology pad initiative in December geared at developing the capacities of indigenous software developers in Nigeria. The initiative, the ministry claimed will enhance local content growth and deepen technology skills in the IT industry.
“The Ministry has concluded the development of ICT incubation centres to facilitate software development in Nigeria. Two centres will be up and running before end of January 2013 in Lagos and Cross River state. The goal is for the incubation centres to create 25 successful ICT businesses by 2015
“The Ministry has commenced the setting up of an IT innovation venture capital fund solely focused on ICT businesses that will have the initial seed capital provided by government with contributions from private sector to help incubates become commercially successful. Size of fund is S$15m fund and ministry has secured N500m/$3.5m Seed Capital from NITDEVF.”
The ministry claimed to be currently developing postal outlets (numbering over 3,000) to transform outlets to become venues for financial and economic inclusion.
Indeed in 2013, the ministry said it hoped to increase the contribution of the ICT industry to GDP;
connects Nigeria by facilitating the provision of a ubiquitous and cost effective national ICT infrastructure; increase software development, ICT entrepreneurship and innovation and the development of a strong and vibrant ICT industry.
Most importantly, the ministry hopes to ensure improve quality of service delivery; local content and skills development to create jobs and sustain the industry and cost reduction, transparency in governance and citizen engagement to promote efficiency in governance.
The Ministry in partnership with National University Commission (NUC), World Bank and the TetFund, is in the process of deploying a 10GB fibre optic based network to connect Nigerian Universities to the wider research and education universe. Design of the network has been completed and RFP issued. The build out of Phase 1 will commence in Q1-2013 by connecting 36 Federal Universities, 28 Off-Campus sites and 12 Medical Colleges, while Phase 2 will cover the State Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.
2013 path by Stakeholders
While agreeing that there was modest improvement on the ICT landscape in 2012, stakeholders who spoke to The Guardian believed strongly that the sector can experience geometric progression in 2013 if the obvious bottlenecks can be removed.
According to the Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, if the telecommunications sector must live up to expectation in 2013, issues of multiple taxations; erratic power supply; insecurity; and willful damage to ICT infrastructures must be checked.
Adebayo, who said about 150 Base Transceiver Stations were lost to bombings, flood in 2012, appreciated the efforts of the Nigeria Police Force, “The IG has asked that there should be more protection for all our sites in the country. The NPF is putting extra vigilance on telecoms facilities, but they have limited resources. They need to be equipped to be able to curb incessant attacks on the operators.”
The ALTON boss claimed that 98 per cent of the country’s 20,000 BTS currently run on diesel, which according to him, remains a disincentive to investment.
Lamenting the pangs of poor power supply on operators in the sector, president of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Lanre Ajayi, said “the issue of poor electricity supply is major challenge to telecoms operators. Improvement in the supply of electricity would lead to reduction in the expense on diesel thereby lowering OPEX. I believe that Government is on its way to solving the electricity challenge through the slow but steady route to privatization of power companies. I think the positive impact of this measure would be felt soon.”
Ajayi, an engineer advised the ComTech ministry to set developmental goals, develop policies and strategies of accomplishing those goals and ensure compliance with government policies, through effective monitoring.
According to him, the goal of tremendously increasing Internet penetration in Nigeria, through the twin strategies of making Government services available online and provision of Mobile Internet Device (MID), such as Tablet available to Nigerian students should be a top priority of the government.
“A major way to fastrack Broadband penetration is to stimulate demand for broadband access by promoting the deployment of applications that are relevant to Nigerian users and add values to their life. Such applications may include ones that make commerce available online (e-Commerce), ones that make Government services available online (e-Government), ones that make health services delivery available online (e-Health), ones that make learning available online (e-Learning) and so on. Government should take a lead by making Government services available online”, the ATCON boss stated.
For software development, the president of Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Dr. Chris Uwaje, said it has become highly imperative to make software strategy, policy and legislation the highest priority.
Uwaje said this will create an estimated three million jobs and fire the national economy. “With over 100million Mobile Phones, we may have failed if we cannot fire the sector with Nigeria Content/Software.”
To strengthen the indigenous software adoption campaign, the ISPON president said: “There is undergoing a massive information crisis, because our national content, from e-Government to national database, to digital education, digital litigation process, digital transportation, digital urban planning and residency data/ national identity information system are in crisis. This crisis can only be resolved by software. India has recognised that long ago and is working to resolve the crises. If Nigeria does not accelerate her engagement to promote and develop Indigenous Software (Software Nigeria), our information crisis with multiply.”
But for a former president of ATCON, Titi Omo-Ettu, the country needs to draw a line between counting success and recognising a future in the emerging communication Technology industry.
Omo-Ettu said the results might not have started crystalising but it is clear we have observed a clear vision and we have seen a clear direction of travel on the part of the Ministry.
“Never have we witnessed an agency of government that found its feet within twelve months of its establishment. This is because it is usually difficult to chart a path of travel for such creations. It has been a good story for Communication Technology Ministry because it quickly defined its mandate, set the goals, drew the milestones, produced a draft policy and it has been articulating a vision for the industry. Thanks to the fact that a professional was appointed to do the job”, he stated.
According to the former ATCON boss, the two initiatives, which are potential stimulants for growth in local investment, are the PC ownership for students and an IT innovation venture capital fund for local investors. He said these are vehicles required for rapid increase in supporting local investment in broadband extensions to thrive, stressing that the ministry will do well in 2013 by paying more attention to them.
By and large, the Chief Executive Officer of Omatek Ventures, Mrs. Florence Seriki believed strongly that the country will do well if government can really enforce the made-in-Nigeria campaign, especially in the areas of computer usage.
According to her, for the initiative to be effective, Nigeria’s number citizen must believe and lead the campaign by encouraging its use.
In her submission, the Chief Executive Officer of MainOne Cable Company, Ms. Funke Opeke believed that infrastructure sharing; especially in the quest for broadband regime will create the needed tonic to drive the growth.
Opeke, who lamented that three years into the landing of submarine cables in Nigeria the country was yet to make maximum use of the cable capacities.
Comparing Nigeria with other African countries, Opeke said Kenya and Tanzania have gone far in Internet access penetration because the government of those countries built a nationwide infrastructure backbone and allowed the private sector to run it at a determined low cost and that every Internet Service Provider (ISPs) has equal access to available broadband capacities.
But in Nigeria, each cable company is building its own broadband infrastructure and fixing prices at will, which in most cases are very high because the operators have to add the cost of building their own infrastructure backbone.
She suggested that there should be infrastructure framework policy in Nigeria where government would consider existing backbone infrastructure and make the available capacities accessible to operators at reduced cost.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Adeyemi Adepetun
Quelle/Source: The Guardian Nigeria, 02.01.2013
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