In a bid to shed the toga of underdevelopment that has generally characterized the Northern parts of the country, Kano state has committed N5.5 billion to the state ICT Park project, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek has learnt.
The Kano state ICT Park project is a landmark ICT policy to transform the state into a leading ICT player and fire the kiln of development of other parts of the country.
The ICT Park which is to be commissioned in May will create employment opportunities and fetch revenue for the state.
Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, governor of Kano state hopes to attract software development, outsourcing services, research and development, content creation and development, manpower training and development, ICT system assembly businesses with the ICT Park.
The ICT Park project which has been in the implementation stage for the past two years, is located in a 10-storey building.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek learnt the Microsoft Corporation in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development agency (Nitda) has shown interest in establishing a software testing laboratory in the Park.
The state is providing an ICT-conducive market which exhibits the right environment including strong political leadership, an enabling regulatory and legal context, adequate educational infrastructure and maturity of IT skills, a favourable climate for innovation, and accessibility for efficient and effective use of the Park.
The state is also providing incentives for organisations to embrace the Park and is also looking at outsourcing to encourage indigenous and foreign companies’ participation.
“When services are outsourced through an ICT Park to companies in an ICT Park like ours, what that means is that, we will be able to provide lots employment to those that will ultimately execute or provide those services,” said Bashir Galadanci, the Kano State commissioner for Science and Technology.
Globally IT parks have been used to attract foreign investment.
With the park, Shekarau’s government will enter history books for using ICT to promote good governance, advance knowledge and create wealth and jobs.
Northern Nigeria has remained largely underdeveloped and lagged behind the South for many reasons.
Alhaji Isa Yuguda, Bauchi State governor, said at a forum sometimes that “The North is very backward; at least the death rates among our women and children indicate so. But the truth is that there cannot be investment, where there is no peace. Is there peace in the North? We know how religious riots drive away the investors.”
There is also attitudinal dimension to the absence of development in the North as well as lack of committed leadership.
