NIGERIAN GLOBAL IT SUMMIT
DATE: 3/13/2003
REPORT: From Sonny Aragba-Akpore Washington DC. USA.
With an untapped market for software alone put at over $6 billion, Nigerian information technology practitioners were told on Wednesday, in Washington D.C. – United States of America (USA) that unless they buckle up their efforts in this very important sector, most of that market will be eaten up by foreign and foreign-based corporations.

Although the participants rose from the first day of a four-day Nigerian Global IT Summit hosted by Nigerian IT Professionals in Americas (NITPA) and Nigerian Computer Society (NCS), with a determined effort to tap from that market, a software practitioner and a principal offices of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Mr. Pius Okigbo, Jr. lamented that it was too early in the day to celebrate.

His reasons: there is no clear data on the number of software companies in Nigeria and in general terms, there is no clear data of the number of workforce in the country and above all, software hardly attributes to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Okigbo, Jr. agreed that the market potential is over $6 billion, only God knows how much had been taken abroad by multinational and foreign-based software companies from Nigeria. Of course, principally both government and multinational companies in Nigeria patronize foreign software at the expense of Nigerian software.

He reasoned that there is a dearth of manpower and skilled labour force in the IT industry, whereby only 2,200 computer graduates are turned out from our tertiary institutions yearly and, above all, funding of the sector from venture capital and the banks has been dismal, as more than $5 billion funds for Small and Medium Enterprises remains trapped in the Central Bank (CBN) with the bank not willing to disburse these funds.

The Summit which had principal players in the Nigerian IT sector in attendance was told by an African American and Vice President: Foundation for African Democracy, Mr. Greg Simpkins, that Nigerians should view with a pinch of salt promises of life abundance by developed countries, including the USA, “because nobody is gonna solve your problems for you. You are the one who can take your fate in your hands and nobody is gonna do it for you.”

Simpkins, who claimed to have worked closely with pro-democracy groups in Nigeria, said Africans should take the initiative themselves to bridge the gap between the west and Africa. Particularly, he said Nigerians in the diaspora should work closely with Nigerian professionals at home to develop Nigeria because “only you can take the initiative.”

Simpkins said Africans should not have the illusion that anybody was taking their problems very critically. “There is a wide gulf between Americans and Africans. To many African Americans, Africa is an idea. We came at different times, look at the world from different windows, but we need to work together.”

Part of that idea to work together was the reason for the founding of Teachers Without Borders (TWB) by Dr. Fred Mednick. Mednick, an American, said he was moved by the grinding poverty in the world’s largest black nation, Nigeria, and took up the initiative to provide education for teachers and communities, as education is integral to development. Soon, TWB will introduce an on-line teacher training program and has the world’s best expertise for educational reform, especially in terms of national programs.

Teachers Without Borders’ idea is to teach the people to learn to earn. TWB is about community development, school reform, and teacher training in order to bridge the digital and education divide. TWB is present in several Nigerian villages and communities. They receive support from a local Nigerian TWB Council, along with corporations, philanthropies, and individuals in the United States.

Dr. Mednick noted that there are 59 million teachers in the world, the largest professional group. His organization is now trying to reach them and has representatives in 84 countries, with 400 volunteers.

Two academics, Professor Oliver Osuagwu of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri and Professor Charles Uweadia of the University of Lagos had lamented the decaying nature of the academic profile in Nigeria, saying that unless there is a review of the academic curricula, there will still remain an alarming dearth of manpower.

Although Osuagwu painted a picture of opportunities for IT investment in Nigeria, Uwadia said such investments would make sense of there is a cumulative rise in the academic profile.

Uwadia, who teaches computer Sciences at the University of Lagos, said “there is a minimal exposure of students to computers and so there is more theory than practice.” Staff motivation was weakened and libraries currently lack books.

Strikes and related vices have taken over the school system so much that students spend more time at home than at school, he lamented.

Above all, instead of spending 26 percent of national budgets to fund education as prescribed by UNESCO, the Nigerian government spends about 1.83 percent. “This is lamentable,” he said. But Osuagwu said that the sheer size of Nigeria is a potential for personal computer sellers, vendors, telecommunications companies , and Internet Service Providers.

Earlier in his welcome address, President of Nigerian IT Professionals in the Americas (NITPA), Professor Manny Aniebonam said that the Summit in Washington D.C. was in response to an earlier one hosted by the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS) in Lagos – September 23-24 last year.

“We want to turn despair to opportunity for Nigeria. That is the purpose of this summit.”

Aniebonam, a Professor at the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., said NITPA was established 15 months ago, as a talking point to come together to attribute our quota and more to Nigeria’s development.

Dr. Aniebonam stressed: “Of the 1.1 million Nigerians in the Americas, 185,000 are IT professionals while medical doctors are over 25,000. So, we have built a data base called: Nigerian Skills Bank, designed to hold information on our various human resources in North America for effective nation building. So, the historical summit is to draw from our vast networks and begin the process of integrating Nigeria’s IT mission with the global knowledge economy. This is the theme of the Summit.”

NITPA, Aniebonam asserts, “seeks and procures IT opportunities in Nigeria and where members are qualified are allowed to bid for such jobs.” NITPA also procures grants to enable members to execute such jobs.

President, Nigerian Computer Society (NCS), Alhaji Ladi Ogunneye, said that since the “seemingly bickering within the IT groups in Nigeria were rested last year, tremendous progress has been made with these professionals. Now we have a common purpose, pursuit for a better Nigeria. One of the results of that unity is the Summit we are holding in Washington D.C.”

Ogunneye said growth engendered proposals that have become the song on every lip, “and I am very happy for that development.”

Chris Uwaje, President, Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN), and Chairman of the Summit Organizing Committee, said the theme of the Summit: “Integrating Nigeria’s IT Mission with the Global Knowledge Economy” was a clarion call to act “if we must bridge the digital divide because opportunities reside in men, in capacity building.”

Other key speakers included President and Chairman of Council, Computer Professional Registration Council (CPN), Mr. Ojinta Oji-Alala, Registrar and Secretary of CPN Council, Dr. Gabriel Obi, 1st Vice President, NCS, Dr. Chris Nwannenna, NITPA members, members including Professor Vesper Owei, Professor James Momoh, Professor Bolaji Aluko, Dr. Abiodun Bada, Mr. Uche Onwudiwe, Shade Arowoselu, Professor Ademola Ayegoro, Chucks Eleonu were also in attendance. Prominent corporate participants include Zinox Technologies, NITEL, MTEL, CITI Communications. It is important to emphasize that Allstates Trust Bank is one of the major sponsors to the Washington DC Summit..