ICT and national development

The ICT industry sector has made significant inroad into the Nigeria society. Nevertheless, today in Nigeria the picture is entirely different. Huge investments have been made by both public and private sectors in the ICT business in the country but there is a little to show for it.Within the last decade, the country has witnessed […]

The ICT industry sector has made significant inroad into the Nigeria society. Nevertheless, today in Nigeria the picture is entirely different. Huge investments have been made by both public and private sectors in the ICT business in the country but there is a little to show for it.
Within the last decade, the country has witnessed tremendous expansion in ICT resources and facilities. Millions of Nigerians now have access to the internet, mobile banking and mobile phone to mention a few. A significant milestone in the development of the ICT industry in the country is the establishment of some ICT agencies, such as NIIT, NCC, NITDA, NITP and many more. These agencies over the years have fast-tracked many ICT-related projects.
 ICT can be used as a driving force to empower the education sector, create jobs, and alleviate poverty, if certain palliatives are put in place to utilize the resources we have. This would also help in human capacity building as a major strategy for realizing the government mission of making Nigeria a leading nation in the ICT world.

Khalid Prince Idris, IT Department, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola.