Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki Nakande, minister of state for Information and Communications said that Nigeria and other African countries may not achieve the 2015 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) internationally agreed target date set for Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) due to limited broadband network infrastructure investment.
He made the observation in Abuja during the ministerial press briefing on the forthcoming Commonwealth Telecommunication Organization (CTO) forum scheduled to hold in October this year in Abuja. According to him, ICT infrastructures needed to meet the challenge of services for important businesses; government and consumer applications to achieve the targets are presently either very expensive or not available.
He added that until these challenges are addressed, Nigeria and indeed Africa may not realize its full economic potentials and optimize the opportunities that a seamlessly linked and connected Africa can create. He explained that the capacity to use telecommunications as a tool for accelerated socio-economic development in the countries of Africa has never been more evident.
"Africa must fully embrace digital opportunities to be an integral part of the emerging global knowledge and information society. There is a wide consensus among leaders in Africa and around the world about the potential of communications technology as a catalyst for development. Nevertheless, we are at a serious risk at not achieving internationally agreed targets for ICT and development by 2015 in Africa and other regions. To achieve these goals, we need to combine our resources and act quickly" he said.
The present administration vision on ICT development he said is to ride on the back of an effective and efficient telecommunication infrastructure, and that plans have been concluded to connect all the cities, towns and villages of the country for the purpose of reaching the unserved, underserved and deep rural parts of the nation.
The minister noted that Nigeria is ready to maximize its own portion of the $12 billion earmarked by the CTO for the development of ICT in the commonwealth countries even as investment in the ICT in Africa has hit $10 billion last year, a situation he described as great improvement over $50 million recorded in year 2000. He attributed this increase to stimulated competition, policy and regulatory reforms in most African telecommunication markets.
In his remarks at the occasion, Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) explained that the CTO Abuja conference 2008 was designed to prepare delegates, leaders and stakeholders in Nigeria and global telecommunications sector, for the next level of growth and opportunity.
According to him, for us in Nigeria, it is an opportunity to make money in terms of the money to be spent by the participants. He expressed hope that companies coming for the event will get market for their services and goods that will be exhibited.
"Apart from the exhibition, there is also a forum where various problems in the telecommunications industry will be addressed. This is the main Annual General Meeting of telecommunications industry" Ndukwe stated