NCS Calls On FG to Establish ICT Centers in Country

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NCS Calls On FG to Establish ICT Centers in Country

This Day
Efem Nkanga
25 July 2007

The Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), the umbrella body of IT professionals in Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to form a private public partnership arrangement, to be executed through the National Information Technology Development Agency NITDA, to establish information communications technology ICT centers through the length and breadth of the country.

The NSC in a communiqué signed by Dr Chris Nwannenna, the outgoing president of the society also called for the extension of Internet facilities to the remote areas of the country for the training and empowerment of women and youths, so that they could take advantage of several job opportunities in the ICT sectors.

With the theme of the conference, "Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Nigeria: IT Strategies and Tools", the communiqué stated that given that IT has a lot of potential for creating jobs, and thereby eradicating poverty, it should be considered as a key weapon for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in Nigeria.

The NSC also in the communiqué stated that given the crucial role that IT is playing and will continue to play in the socio-economic and technological development of Nigeria it has become imperative that the Federal government establishes, as a matter of urgency, a Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies to facilitate effective harnessing of IT as a tool for national development.

It added that additionally all the state governments in the country should be encouraged to establish a similar ministry, promising that NCS will offer services to any state that requires assistance in order to achieve this. Commending the Federal government be commended for establishing IT Departments in the Federal Ministries and Parastatals, the communiqué stated that government should ensure that only qualified IT professionals registered by the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria are appointed to head the departments.

The communiqué, also stated that with the preponderance of high bandwidth costs to local ISPs, which is ultimately transferred to consumers, it recommended that NIGCOMSAT should be effectively harnessed to drastically reduce high bandwidth costs and hence high cost of Internet access, in the country, while the Federal and state governments should provide Internet access for all universities and tertiary institutions to enable them benefit from numerous opportunities for collaborative work research, e-learning, etc. aimed at bridging the digital divide in Nigeria.

Copyright © 2007 This Day

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While Government should not be solely responsible for advancing 'Information Technology' in the country, a private public partnership arrangement as suggested would definitely be highly beneficial to the country both in it's public and private sectors. participation by individual stateswould also make such efforts more achievable and manageable.

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