Why Nigeria needs policy to boost local content in ICT

FOR the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector to play a dominant role in Nigeria's economic transformation, the need to have a substantive local content policy in the sector has been stressed.Specifically, it was also affirmed that Nigeria's economic agenda - Vision 20: 2020, will need robust local content policies in all the various sectors of the country's economy to become a reality and improve the lives of citizens.This was disclosed by the Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson and industry associations, including the Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN); Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Computer Professional Registration Council (CPN), among others, during their interaction with the minister in Lagos at the weekend.Johnson, who said it has become necessary to have a sustainable local content policy in the sector, assured stakeholders of government's desire to work with them and to create the right environment for the promotion of indigenous IT ventures.She added that the Federal Government would soon come up with guidelines for local content policy for the sector, which according to her, were part of government's move to encourage growth of the local industry, particularly the indigenous hardware and software sub-sectors.Speaking, President of ITAN, Mrs. Florence Seriki, stressed the need for the minister to move the ICT industry forward.To the chairman of Zinox Computers, Leo Stan Ekeh, 'government has to create demand for products of the local IT industry. 'In every market, local industry players are protected because to recycle wealth, create jobs and build local content, government must support the local Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) by driving demand'.According to President of ISPON, Mr. Chris Uwaje, government must not relent in its efforts to support the local software industry through sufficient policy framework.
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