Building viable software ecosystem through collaboration

Software is a key enabler of technological innovation; societies that understand this and play in developing it are today enjoying the huge benefits that come with it.

India for instance generates greater percentage of its foreign earning from software development which is higher than what some countries with mineral resources generate from such resources.

For a country to develop its software ecosystem requires concerted efforts not by chance. It is against this backdrop that stakeholders in the ecosystem have urged for collaboration among different players, be it regulator, developers, marketers and consumers of the products.

Adewale Adeyipo, chief executive officer, CWG Plc, said that the purpose of developing a viable software ecosystem is to create mutual values and innovative solutions for the Nigerian market, leveraging on platform-based business models and digital technologies, thus leading to a switch from direct competition to mainly platform competition.

He cited the cellphone industry, where rivalry is no longer between Nokia and Blackberry but rather between the Android and iOS ecosystems. “The ecosystem of Android does include not only the Google platform but also all mobile phone manufacturers, application developers, users, telecommunication services, etc.

“Companies such as Nokia and Blackberry are out of the market because they have not considered this development at all. In a sustainable software-ecosystem, all stakeholders benefit. Where just one part of the ecosystem has nothing to gain, the whole ecosystem can potentially collapse.

“Therefore, a viable software ecosystem is where all the market players engage, connect and share ideas across active communities and networks, as well as identify and convert opportunities into business. In the current age of technology-driven financial services, no market participant can afford to operate in silos.

“In Nigeria, the market players are still not fully active as it should be. To achieve a viable software ecosystem in the financial service sector in Nigeria, all stakeholders need to collaborate actively. There must be deliberate policies and regulations that will drive such inclusiveness.

“The survival of our software ecosystem is dependent on the collaborations between the government and the financial service sector ecosystem. Services like Payment solution service providers (PSSP), Payment gateways providers, Bill payments platforms, E-wallets, and mobile money operators and Disbursement/settlement service providers. However, I cannot overstate the role of government and government apparatus,” he said.

On achieving certification in software development, Yele Okeremi, managing director, Precise Financial Systems, said: “For a company to mature to the level of achieving certain levels of certifications there is a minimum level of capital that the company must have.