Nigerian ICT policy drives convergence

The ICT Stakeholders Forum, in Nigeria, has raised hopes of an emerging digital economy in the country that would be built on strong government support, local content driven policy, and entrepreneurship through software development, Leadership reports.

Communications technology minister Omobola Johnson has expressed commitment to a robust ICT policy that will contribute to national development, This Day Live states.

She says the policy would help to reposition and grow the nation's ICT industry, while enabling for a rapid expansion of ICT networks and services that are accessible to all for the transformation of Nigeria into a knowledge-based economy.

Johnson stressed that the converged nature of the industry through media, broadcasting and telecoms, has made it necessary for regulators to recognise that mobile devices are used for a variety of communications, Vanguard says.

Mixed reactions from the stakeholders, who were aggrieved, say they were sidelined at the incubation stage of the draft ICT policy, and calls for the ministry to take the policy document back to the drawing board again with private sector inclusion.

In the opinion of ISPON president Chris Uwaje, who pioneered the incubation of the old IT policy, local content is imperative otherwise Nigeria will miss the knowledge economy.