BY GLORIA USMAN, ABUJA – The Federal Government has announced that the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector has attracted increased Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from $32B in 2015 to $40B in 2018.
Minister of Communications, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, who announced this on behalf of the Federal Government during the official Session of the 6th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Communication Technology (NCCT), said that the performance of the Telecommunications industry has also improved
The Minister noted that there was a positive increase in the number of active telecoms subscribers with an increase from 148,70 million in august 2015 to 162.05 million as at September 2018, representing an increase of 7%.
Shittu further said; “Teledensity rose from 107.67% in August 2015 to 115.76% in September 2018, thus recording an increase of 2.47%. Similarly, Broadband penetration has reached 20.95%, while the percentage of internet penetration has reached a milestone 48.44%, making Nigeria, second only to South Africa in the whole of the African Continent”. Shittu stated
He added that the Nigerian ICT sector is one of the fastest growing despite the economic recession and contributed 9.8% in GDP in 2014, adding however that the challenge is how to leverage the opportunities thrown up by the new economy powered by ICT to address the issues of revenue, investments, cost savings, employment generation, and national productivity among others.
Shittu pointed out that this year’s meeting with the theme; “Leveraging ICT as the Veritable Vehicle for Economic Recovery and Growth”, which took place at June 12, Cultural Centre in Abeokuta, is unique as it focuses on how the highly acknowledged potentials of the ICT Sector can be used to achieve the main policy objectives of Economic Recovery and Growth in view of the dwindling fortunes from oil and Gas.
According to him; “In pursuit of the National agenda, we have continued to reposition the ICT Sector in the areas of infrastructure and industry development, local content optimization, enabling policy, legal and regulatory framework; deepening of ICT in Government and mainstreaming of ICT into all spheres of national life among others”.
In his remarks, Managing Director, FINTRAK SOFTWARE, Mr. Bimbo Abioye on behalf of the Institute of Software Practitioner of Nigeria (ISPON) urged government to provide the enabling environment for software industry and habit of importation of foreign goods to change in order to create employment in the country.
Also, the President of Certified Computer Manufacturers of Nigeria (CCMON) Engr. (Mrs) Adenike Abudu urged people and the government to patronize local manufacturers in order to create more jobs in ICT sector adding that through collective promotion of Nigeria we move the country to the next level.
In his own remarks, Governor Ibikunle Amosu of Ogun State reiterated his state belief in ICT by building an ICT Ecosystem and leveraging on the benefits of technology adding that the government processes are tech-driven through e-Government with our dedicated Web Porta.
Amosu said; “We have also continued to ensure that economic and commercial opportunities in our dear State are further boosted through G2C (Government to Citizens) Solutions. For example, we have standardized our Geographic Information System 8 (GIS) for land acquisition and created a One-Stop-Shop for that will give details of Industrial potentials and mineral resources endowments to prospective investors coming into the State”
