ATCON, NCS, Others Counsel FG on New ICT Policy

STAKEHOLDERS in the nation’s information and communication technology (ICT) industry are counselling the Federal Government on key areas to prioritise in the proposed new National ICT Policy.

Engineer Lanre Ajayi, president of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek that the Ministry of Communications should critically review the existing National ICT Policy and the National Broadband Plan, culling the most important areas for swift implementations.

Ajayi said, “I don’t think we need a new ICT policy more urgent as it were. We just had an ICT policy not too long ago. It is my opinion that the present administration toes the line of the existing policy and implement it. A change in government does not necessarily mean the past policies should be discarded, especially when the policies are relevant in today’s environment.

On critical policies and plans the new document should focus on, he said, “We have ICT policy and broadband plan. The broadband plan implementation seemingly, was short, because of the electioneering (or political activities) few months before the past government left office. The present government can make their milestones from the aspects of the broadband plan, as some of the projections are yet to be achieved such as spectrum licencing to drive broadband and many more, I think, they should focus on the implementation”.

But, Mr. Pius Okigbo, president of the Institute of Software Practitioner of Nigeria (ISPON), believes the Communications Minister deserves the right to choose the ICT policy direction of the present administration.

According to him, stakeholders should wait till the policy thrust is launched before discussing the content; though he admitted that “ICT for job creation” is a sine qua non for the President Muhammadu Buhari led federal Government.