Local Developers at Outskirts of $1tr Software Market

The hefty $400 million for international certification of software has shut out Nigeria software developers from the global market said to be worth more than $1 trillion, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek can now reveal.
Nigerian companies’ penchant for foreign software has served to emasculate software produced locally.
Most federal government departments and agencies are also using foreign software unlike other countries which are fostering fair trade practices in the software industry.
Even the directive by the federal government that preference be given to software produced in the country is not being implemented.
These users of foreign software cite the lack of international certification for local software as reasons for not patronizing such products.
The over dependence on foreign software has been draining the country’s foreign reserve as several millions of dollars are paid annually as license fee for foreign software used by organizations.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek gathered that National Information Technology Development Agency (Nitda), has risen to address the anomaly with plans to establish a software testing centre to authenticate locally developed software to ensure that they meet international standard.
The move is a core strategy and policy intervention that will help embed Nigerian made software for domestic uses.
It is also expected to help in the implementation as well as monitoring of government directives on local software, boost local software market while enhancing research and development.