NigComSat, Sawtel partner on capacity building

Nigeria Communications Satellite Limited (NigComSat) and Sawtel Technology Limited have signed a tripartite agreement for the implementation of an e-learning management system for both civil and public servants in Nigeria.

This is said to be in line with the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) roadmap and objectives of the federal government, the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN).

The agreement, when implemented would see the public-sector productivity boosted by improving their skillset using broadband.

Announcing the collaboration and its impact on both the civil servants and the public servants, Dr. Abdul-Ganiyu Obatoyinbo, PSIN Administrator, highlighted the importance of ICT in manpower development, stressing that the agreement will see the institute deploying ICT to train civil servant simultaneously regardless of their location using cutting edge technologies to achieve this objective.

“It is a known fact that without ICT in today’s world you cannot make impact. Public service has the mandate of training and we cannot achieve that without ICT.

“We will definitely need ICT infrastructure to execute these training because we cannot bring everybody out physically. But we are here to achieve the target that we want to in all our economic industries, which includes the ease of doing business.

“ICT is key, even the strategic plan approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) as projected by the government, it shows that ICT is the central key,” Obatoyinbo said.

He added, “We strongly believe that by the time this infrastructure is in place in about six weeks we should start seeing some immediate regulation. I am confident that by the time the e-business rating is carried out under the next assessment Nigeria would have risen up to about 50–60 ranges.

So, that only happens when capacity building is in place because you train a staff you get the results.”

Also, Abimbola Alele, managing director of NigComSat, revealed NigComSat’s willingness to partner PSIN and Sawtel to take the institute to greater height.

“I congratulate you because you are expanding the horizons of not just only the civil servants but the military, paramilitary and so many other agencies that want to push governance, and you are utilising the best instrument available right now globally, ICT, to train them because ICT is currently the main driver in the world today.

“You are not only being ICT compliant but you are also saving lives of people travelling long distance to come here, and also saving government resources because people would pay per diem to come here but with this agreement people can remain at their location, receive the same content, same information for training and seat for exams simultaneously,” she added.

On the importance of such agreement, the Executive Director, Marketing at NigComSat, Samson Osagie said, “The tripartite agreement is all about realisation of the policy objectives of the ICT roadmap in Nigeria. It is our own way in advancing this ICT roadmap in Nigeria.

“Our contribution is to assist in developing the capacity of the public civil servants in Nigeria through our critical ICT infrastructure. We would provide the critical infrastructure through the optimisation of satellite services to the MDAs.”