Reshaping Nigeria’s digital revolution foundation

By Chike Onwuegbuchi |   13 March 2020   |   2:23 am  


Nigeria has commenced the process of aligning her economy with digitization in order not to be left behind in the global economy.

Notable is the change of ministry of Communications to Communications and Digital Economy. Since then, the ministry has rolled out policies aimed at laying foundation for an economy to be digitally driven.

It is stated fact that a sustainable digital transformation of any country starts with laying a solid foundation in its educational system which is the basis for human capital development.

A sorry educational system no doubt will not bring forth skilled and innovative human capital required for economic advancement of the country.

As the country tries to pay dedicated attention to the fourth industrial revolution, to equip citizens with the necessary skills to thrive in a digital society becomes inevitable.

Amos Emmanuel, chief software architect, Programos Software Group, said that digitized education frameworks bring about expanded knowledge sharing and collaborations between regions and institutions, which in effect accelerates citizens’ empowerment for innovation by skilled citizens who impact social innovation, integration of technologies into everyday life.

“Knowledge is power! Nigeria will be able to create and sustain a wealthy innovation-bed of innovation creators rather than as technology consumers only. As the WSA Eminent National Expert for Nigeria and Grand Jury member, we can point to a clear fact that the country’s innovation ecosystem, despite its numerous social-political challenges, is productive and growing in leaps and bounds as Nigeria has sustained consistency on the global innovation map rating of the UN World Summit Awards system that started in, Vienna, Austria 15 years ago,” he said.

He noted that Nigeria’s education system has greatly been influenced by recent advancements in technological developments, and recommended that policymakers, stakeholders alike ensure that educational institutions are regulated to ensure science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning in educational programs are digitized.

“As is applicable in other sectors, a technocrat with requisite expertise should be considered as information technology and education ministries ministers and not politicized. It is high time our government steps up programmes to put an end to the epileptic power supply as the majority of the educational institutions across the country cannot take advantage of digitization with power programme still far below expectation.

“We need appropriate legislation to be harmonized with existing ones so as to promote an easy unambiguous regulatory framework to ensure our collective desires for sustainable education digitization,” he added.

Chris Uwaje, chairman, Mobile Software Solutions, described digitalization of educational system as conversion of all forms of development through digital knowledge process from analogue format to digital electronic learning process at all levels.

He identified things the country require in order to digitalize its educational system to include creative people, visionary leadership, active science, technology and innovation research, constructive strategy, responsive and sustainable infrastructure.

“More so, we have to promote merit-first strategy, retooling the entire workforce and learning environment with ICT intervention. Technology is created by man. Therefore we need people and knowledge – first policy. And best way to conquer that abnormally is through the fussion of Nigeria’s diaspora and local knowledge processes that applies huge investment and transparent incentives in education promotion, administration and sustainable management standard,” he said.

You may also like

2 days ago
Payment infrastructure company, Zone has raised $8.5 million in an oversubscribed seed funding round led by reputable VC firms, Flourish Ventures and TLcom Capital.
2 days ago
The International Data Corporation (IDC) has reported smartphone shipments in Africa were up 12 per cent year-on-year in Q4 2023 to 19.8 million units, due in part to strong uptake of low-end Chinese brands across the region.
2 days ago
Following the successful hosting of Nigeria’s first-ever tech ecosystem mixer, DICE, Beyond Limits, a pan-African organisation at the forefront of driving digital transformation, excellence, and growth in individuals and organisations - has revealed that preparations are in top gear for the second edition to hold in April 2024. DICE, an acronym for Digital Innovation and…