ISPON Seeks Policy to Grow Local Content

Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) has urged government to support local content in the sector through deliberate policy that will ensure patronage and growth.

Pius Okigbo, Jr. president, ISPON, stated this at the 7th edition of ISPON President’s dinner held over the weekend.

“We believe fervently that our industry represents a sector of immense opportunity - one of massive employment potential, an industry endowed with creativity and technological innovation, wealth creation, talent development and much more. This is a sector where all you need to get started is a bright idea, a laptop, the requisite development tools and the comfort zone of your mother’s bedroom.

“There is a new mantra currently headlining, ‘Made in Nigeria’ for this mantra to hold true, we must set aside our cultural inhibitions and disdain for things that are made locally. We must imbibe a new ethos for local content, we must believe in ourselves and in our own abilities. If our software business is not engaged, the industry will not grow. It cannot employ and it cannot create wealth. What we need is deliberate policy.

“It is worthy of note that a Nigerian software firm cannot setup shop in India, china, Malaysia or even England, bid for a job and win it! Yet the reverse is true in Nigeria, firms from some of these countries brag about their prowess and exhibit their utter disdain for local firms. This we must stop,” he said.

Veronica Owolabi, vice president, Nigeria Computer Society, urged government at different levels to assist in ensuring that local software is used by organisations and government agencies.

“Software developed by Nigerians can compete farvourably with foreign software,” she stated
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Mr. Folashodun Shonubi, managing director, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), who delivered the keynote highlighted the challenges facing local software which includes certification. He said that certification has to be instituted in the industry to guarantee software quality so as to avoid disappointment.

Shonubi who was represented by Niyi Ajao, executive director, Technology and Operation, NIBSS, added that indigenous software must be given the right publicity as well as right pricing if they are to grow and become established.