Efforts to deepen digital growth in Nigeria will not yield positive result until the rural areas in the country are digitally connected, President of Nigeria Computer Society, Prof. Sola Aderounmu has said. This came with the realisation that the digital gap between the urban and rural communities in the country is getting wider, as investments in digital infrastructure are being concentrated in cities.
While pointing at e-government, e-health and e-education as the next frontiers for Nigeria in the digital journey, Aderounmu said the rural communities would cut off from these developments if there were no conscious effort to deploy infrastructure in remote areas.
“The opportunities technology create for employment generation, efficient and accountable governance, wealth-creation and social development, cannot be underestimated,” he said.
“NCS cautions that, as the country invests in technology, it must not widen existing divides in society. The sustainability of our efforts requires inclusion.
“The excluded, the vulnerable, the rural populace, all need to be part of the digital revolution for Nigeria to fulfil its immense potential. Can we really have e-government if the majority of citizens lack access to digital infrastructure, and fall short in terms of required digital skills?” he queried.
To drive this further, Aderounmu said the NCS had decided to focus digital inclusion at its forthcoming 27th National Conference scheduled to hold in Ibadan later this month. With the theme, Digital inclusion: Opportunities, Challenges and Strategies, he said ICT stakeholder would at the conference set national digital inclusion agenda.
The NCS president added that adopting technology and utilising it to build an inclusive society and achieving sustainable development would be the thrust of the conference. According to him, NCS, the umbrella body of all information technology professionals in Nigeria, organises the annual conferences to address challenges and highlight opportunities related to building a digital, prosperous and inclusive Nigeria.
“NCS has assembled leading researchers, entrepreneurs, educators, industry experts, thought leaders, international scholars and subject-matter experts as speakers and resource persons to share knowledge and experience on the theme and subthemes,” he said.
“The conference will focus on important issues related to the theme and subthemes such as poverty eradication and job creation in a rural economy, Internet and broadband for all, e-agriculture, e-health and e-education.”
He listed other subthemes to include software and local content, gender equality and the empowerment of women, tech startup, SME and youth entrepreneurship, e-voting and election management.
Aderounmu said that conference would feature NCS President’s Award for Distinguished Persons in Information Technology. He listed the dignitaries to be honoured to include Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State and Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe state. The Minister of Communications, Barr. Adebayo Shittu and the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr Isa Pantami, are the government functionaries expected to speak at the conference. Other expected speakers at the confab include Chief Executive Officer of MainOne, Ms Funke Opeke; Managing Director, Sidmach Technologies Nig. Ltd, Mr Adeday Arogundade; and Executive Director, NIBSS, Mr Niyi Ajao.
According to Aderounmu, some topics to be discussed are artificial intelligence, block-chain, fintech, financial inclusion, e-government, broadband, disruptive technologies, Fourth Industrial Revolution and e-voting.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Samson Akintaro
Quelle/Source: New Telegraph Newspaper, 12.07.2018
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