NITEC: Data Sovereignty & Job Creation via Indigenous Data Centres

The Nigeria International Technology Exhibition & Conference (NITEC 2016) is now less than two weeks away, and if there is one thing that this conference is about, it’s leveraging technology to re-engineer the nation’s economy.

The conference is deemed to panning attentions, private and public sectors alike, to “how world-class cloud services accelerate a smarter society”, enabling job creation with ease!

Data centres as occupying the very core of technology advancement particular in a very unsafe world cannot be over emphasized. Participants will look forward to answers to why the majority of Nigeria's data still located outside the shores of this country; what policies should be put in place to advance technologically and ensure that multi-nationals hosting our data situate some of their data centres within the shores of Africa and Nigeria in particular?

Just recently, the Office for Nigerian Content Development in ICT (ONC) lamented the trillions of dollar revenue loss to overseas hosting of data. The Office has also threatened to enlist the help of the Attorney General of the Federation to prosecute government officials who contravene guidelines on hosting government generated data within the country.

The unfortunate side of the side of the story is that Government owned Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are defaulters as well.

In fact, said it may enlist the help of the Attorney General of the Federation to prosecute these officials who, not only contravene guidelines on hosting government generated data and domains within the country, but engage in massive fraud, embezzling public funds through this means. Such is a pure treasonable felony, as the national security is handled with levity. Still same people would mount podiums in conferences, summits and worships, bashing the nation’s IT/ICT industry of inaction with regard developing apparatuses for national security.

While they are feeding other data centers abroad, creating jobs in those countries, our naira continues to suffocate, while unemployment rate skyrockets. What a pity!

The huge losses to the country are largely are high-prices we are paying following the departure sections 17 (4) and 18 of the NITDA Act of 2007?.

Lamenting the loss, Mr Inye Kemabonta, acting national coordinator of ONC re-echoed that localisation of data hosting that keeps Nigeria’s data and internet traffic home is a key revenue generator that can boost the economy.

There are no two ways about it. For example, Rack Centre located in the heart of Lagos State posses enough capacity to bring to an end the ill-doings of these government officials. And what on earth is the reason even a SME would want to host data abroad in the present economic realities. Security? Affordability? Agility? Come on, these are outdated arguments as far as data centre infrastructure are concerned. With Rack Centre, MainOne, MTN Business, Vodacom Busines and other data centres in view, it will do us a lot good to host our data home!

Why is this imperative? We are discussing about the future of data hosting in the country; especially sovereign data hosting. If we are truly going to be a developed economy and a country to be reckon with, we cannot toil with our sovereignty.

Kemabonta rightly captured the scenario thus, “Sovereign data means Government (generated) Data. It is inconceivable for anyone to accept the fact that such data are hosted outside our shores. It is a no brainer that we must bring back those data. We should look at hosting Sovereign data outside the country from the perspective of Aso Villa being governed by foreigners. Sovereignty is what makes you a nation and to say such thing is not in your house is an indictment on your personality. That alone is enough to worry us, but people are not even aware of this implication.

“There are always data protection laws in every country, because every day as a citizen, people collect your data, whether for driving licence, birth certificate or SIM card registration; they collect your name, blood group, religion, family background, etc., even medical data of citizens.

“At the broad level these citizens’ data should be protected. How about all the financial transactions we make. These are critical and classified data. It is unimaginable that these things are not within your reach. Any one not aware of this hasn’t really started planning national development”.

The truth is, they know. These officials know what they are doing! They simply don’t care on doing the right thing. They are all committing crimes, but what gladdens me is this: when ONC begins to publish names of those who are breaching the regulations (as Kemabonte indicated); those that courts will declare criminals eventually, we believe the Attorney General of the Federation will take action.

Data centres are revenue-spinning venture when tapped into, just as the job creation potentials are enormous. Have you considered a simply calculation that the “data centers are but one element of a collaborative organization that includes research & development, marketing, sales, service, and support, those couple of thousand on-site positions help such a company to employ tens of thousands more on a full-time basis offering the services delivered from those data centers, even after adjusting for employees in non-services divisions?”.

Well, we have sat the fence enough. It is high time we harnessed these potentials for our common good.

To this end, every well meaning Nigeria should be in support of NITEC 2016. Let’s discuss and showcase what we have got to fix this economy. Oil is gone for good. Welcome technology.

Holding at Civic Centre, Lagos from 23rd-24th of June, NITEC 2016 remains a formidable to bridge the gap between the private and public sectors and the international technology community in re-engineering the African technological ecosystem for greater impact on the continent’s GDP.

Likewise, through plenary sessions and exhibitions the worth of our technology system will be showcased to thousands of attendees; exhibition booth (2 days); placement of brand logo on event brochure and website; complimentary wifi, place web banners and share branded gifts at booths.

The renowned speakers will spark deepened conversation and help through up new innovations that will help Nigeria and indeed, Africa, on digitization. Plan to be there!