Tech4eco growth: Can WAFICT become rallying point for Africa’s tech sustenance?

Emmanuel

Over the last decade, Nigeria and indeed Africa, has been swimming along with the tides of technology even though this incursion into the technological world could be described as rather late.

Notwithstanding, African nations, among which Nigeria, stands out for her huge telecommunications success, have recorded some progress that redirects world’s attention to the African technology markets.

Incidentally, technology moves at the speed of light, which means that no nation can claim to have achieved it all. For Nigeria and other West African countries, the technology journey may have just begun. Beyond telecommunications, the world has moved into a phase where economy, governance and people’s lives rest squarely on the total package of ICT.

It therefore means that creating more innovations are as important as sustaining what is already in place.

Tackling this challenge, according to industry practitioners, requires constant engagement of the industry in new technologies with consistent interaction among stakeholders within and outside the shores of Africa, on how to properly harness them for economic growth.

Apparently in a bid to take up this gauntlet, several Nigerian organizations and individuals alike have floated several discuss platforms, conferences and workshops to reawaken the people of Africa into the realities of this new world challenge.

However, one of the most promising platforms seems to be the West African ICT Congress, WAFICT, due to the quality of diverse industry stakeholders including government establishments, regulators and operators from across Africa and around the world that it attracts to Nigeria on the yearly basis that it holds.

Again, the conference also gathers notable technology inventors and manufacturers who use the opportunity of the show to showcase their inventions and thereby test the pulse of the Nigerian market.

At the end of the conference, there is no doubt, the noticeable addition of foreign direct investment into the country by those convinced of the green business environment that is Nigeria.

But the question as the event gears up once again for the 2014 edition is if it can hold ground as rallying point for sustaining Africa’s technology development. It means that topics to be discussed will shift from pedestrian to the focused and outcome of discussions worth part of agenda when African technology development is discussed in international fora like the International Telecommunications Union, ITU World conferences, GSMA World organized conferences among others.

Interestingly, the organizers have hinted that this year’s theme will revolve around Broadband for Transformational Development: peoples, governments and industries in West Africa with technologies and solutions to transform their societies.

The challenge, however is to ensure that after discussions, respective African governments and policy makers immediately implement decisions else the event wouldn’t have escaped a yearly Jamboree.

Today, broadband is a key component of economic growth due to the ubiquitous advancement it gives to governance, business and social life. Little wonder the ITU declared that broadband access is a basic human right, just like the right to healthcare, shelter and food.

But Nigeria is far from totally harnessing such advancements because broadband for growth is still on discussion stage here when others have already implemented or are already implementing.

WAFICT 2014

But IT&Telecom Digest magazine, organizer of the event has said that building on the successes of the past editions, this year’s edition would be another thought-provoking and incisive Congress. Slated for October 30thand 31st2014 at the Eko Hotel and Suites Lagos, the organisers, said that when government officials, telecom and information technology companies, regulatory agencies, operators, computing and software firms, manufacturers, and other stakeholders converge this year, their task will be to provide answers on how to maximally utilize the infrastructures already on ground in the sub-region as well as proffer solutions on how to make additions so that the continent would not play catch-up to countries which are already deploying broadband as transformational tool for development.

Publisher of the magazine, Mr Mkpe Abang said that “the 2014 WAFICT Congress is expected to open new frontiers for all-round economic development across West Africa using technology.

Running for the sixth consecutive year, the Congress is upping the ante this year, as it brings people at the highest levels of government, regulators, and operators as well as all stakeholders in the ICT industry together with one full focus of finding ways to leverage on technology for economic development.

Globally, broadband technology is seen as veritable tool in driving economic growth and this is not without verifiable evidences from countries with huge broadband penetration”.

Johnson to lead discussions

According to him, Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson has agreed to lead discussions at the event, to express how important broadband development is to her ministry.

Meanwhile, other keynote speakers, including the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah; DG of National Broadcast Commission, NBC, Mr Emeka Mba; DG of National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, Mr Peter Jack, and MD of Galaxy Backbone, Yusuf Kazaure, among others are also said to be lined up to trash the issue of broadband at the event

The Congress, which holds alongside Exhibition, is also expected to provide an opportunity to beam further searchlights on cybercrimes and the challenging tasks for cybersecurity, as well as the way forward for local content in the telecom and ICT sectors in the sub-region. It is expected that telecom regulators and operators across the sub-region with top notch speakers will thus chart the course for the industry’s growth.

Source: Vanguard