The plan also made provision for the involvement of the three tiers of government (federal, state and local governments), the private sector and civil society group.
Successful implementation of the plan will however depend on the funding options available and the ability of stakeholders to access the funds for effective use on the various programmes and projects outlined in the plan.
The first major step is to embark on comprehensive and appropriate costing of the programmes and projects on a sector by sector basis. This could be a rolling plan based on the targets/timeline already set out in the plan.
This will give a good idea of what is to be done on annual basis and it must be consistently implemented. Funding the ICT4D in an adhoc manner cannot achieve the desired result! Appropriate costing must also be a function of right and current technologies (hardware/software) that would not be out of use within a few months of installation. We must ensure that our use of IT is driven by the goals/mandate of the individual organisation and implementation of areas that are relevant to their need in the plan.
Also the existing ICT funding mechanisms like NITDEF and USPF that are within the federal government's purview should be closely linked with the plan to implement some of the progrmmes. Activities of these organs and other bodies that are currently financing ICT projects in Nigeria should be properly co-ordinated to avoid duplication.
Moreover, all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should devote a minimum of 10% of their annual budgetary estimate to ICT infrastructure and services within the next four years.
They must now view ICT a major budget heading and ensure allocation of funds accordingly. The projects estimates should be properly co-ordinated to avoid over estimation. This should be made to complement what role USPF and NITDEF could play in this implementation.
All MDAs should develop appropriate manpower in the area of writing bankable proposals which could be submitted to attract funding from development partners and multinationals. One of the major reasons that organizations are not able to assess funds from development partners is bad proposal writing which usually present request for support for ICT projects in very poor manner thereby not qualifying for consideration.
As already stated, private sector organizations are always in the fore front of investment in ICT development. Government should therefore create an enabling environment in terms of tax incentives, policies, regulations, etc that can encourage private sector investors in implementing the Nigerian ICT4D plan. The UN Task Force on Financial Mechanisms for ICT for Development emphasized in its report that an enabling environment is key to encouraging the private sector.
However, a major area that has to be addressed is the tendency for private sector investors to invest mainly in urban areas where they expect quick return on their investment. Government should therefore monitor and ensure that the rural communities where about 65% of our population resides are considered in any area of the ICT4D plan that private investors are willing to be part of.
Government organs should also give priority to rural areas in implementing their own agenda in the plan. This will ensure equal access instead of widening the digital divide between the rural and urban areas of the country.
Furthermore, adequate attention should be accorded public-private partnership in order to achieve success. Already the federal government of Nigeria is doing this and it should highly encouraged. Even the European Union noted the fact that private sector alone may not be able to meet the needs of the poorest hence they encourage P-P-P in most of their developmental initiatives. This should also be taking seriously in implementing the Nigerian plan.
Another mechanism that may be inculcated in effective funding of the Nigerian ICT4D plan is the regional partnership for some of the projects. Considering the strategic position of Nigeria on the continent, organizations like ECOWAS and African Union (NEPAD), United Nations' Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) may be willing to fund some of the projects hence they could be approached with good proposals to be part of the new path of a technology driven economy that Nigeria has commenced. Regional projects like the SAT 3 should be thoroughly examined as it could be of major importance in implementing the Nigerian ICT4D plan.
With all the options, awareness creation is very key to the success of the plan. NITDA should really go to town with the document, approach development partners, states and local governments to ensure their by-in to the plan and implement relevant areas. States and local governemnts may even decide to pick part of the Nigerian ICT4D plan to develop their own ICT policies and the corresponding plans with attendant budgetary provision and explore other sources of funding for its implementation.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Vincent Olatunji
Quelle/Source: allAfrica, 29.06.2010
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