IT advocacy as elixir for sector’s growth

THE Managing Director, ChamsAccess Limited, Mrs. Funke Alomo-Oluwa has harped on the need for increased advocacy with regards to Information Technology in Nigeria, noting that the country could remain backwards if the sector is neglected.
   
Alomo-Oluwa, who made this known in at the weekend in Lagos, in a paper entitled; “Nigeria Computer Society: The need for IT advocacy in Nigeria”, said despite the growing presence, adoption, and influence of technology in the country, various factors still mitigate against the holistic development and advancement of the sector, a scenario which she declared is not helpful for the nation’s technological development and economic expansion.
   
According to her, “the development of Information Technology in Nigeria is hindered as a result of problems such as corruption and nepotism, poor procurement policies, and little or no IT governance. These issues negates the progress recorded and could further diminish them if not checked.”
   
Alomo-Oluwa who identified a host of predicaments such as data mining by foreign countries, lack of knowledge and skill transfer, loss of national/military security intelligence to foreign forces, massive economic loss in international trade, lack of standardization, and low contribution of IT towards the nation’s GDP, as consequences of maintaining the status quo on ICT urged the relevant government regulatory authorities and industry stakeholders to massively devise strategies aimed at encouraging the development of the sector in the country.
   
The ChamsAccess boss, who also noted that the use of IT can help bring about the needed accountability and transparency in public expenditures as craved for by the present government advised them not to repeat the mistake of past administration, which sparsely patronised Nigerian IT firms for major capital projects.