The Nigerian Information Communications Technology, ICT sector is set to aid the Federal Government’s goal of increasing the nation’s nominal Gross Domestic Product, GDP from US$215 billion to US$900 billion by 2020 through investments and open approach collaboration with ICT companies globally.

Dr. Jimson Olufuye, President, Information Technology Association of Nigeria, ITAN, disclosed this at the Nigeria-India IT CEO High Level Business forum with the theme “Enriching Global IT Partnership” held in Lagos on September 19, 2011. The delegation of National Software and Services Companies of India, NASSCON were on a working visit to Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana to boost trade relationship in the ICT sector.

Giving an update on the industry performance, Olufuye said the total estimate of ICT spending on hardware and services in Nigeria in 2010 stood at US$12 billion in an industry projected to be worth US$160 billion. While in same year, according to the industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, the telecommunications sector single-handedly contributed about 3.5 percent to the nation’s economy, a figure expected to exceed seven percent in the nearest future.
He lauded the government’s determination to chart a proper policy focus for the ICT industry and the recent creation of the Ministry of Communication Technology, headed by a private sector guru on ICT, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, who he said will ensure that Nigeria attracts more foreign direct investment in the sector, which will in turn provide employment for its teeming youths.

Olufuye said the Nigerian ICT practitioners are ready to partner and learn from the Indian experience. “Indians have gone through the process of fine-tuning its ICT policy; there is no need to re-invent the will. There is need for us to tap into their know-how and we have been assured of their support under the auspices of World Information Technology and Services Alliance, WITSA of which we are both members,” he said.

The ITAN president therefore stressed that “our expectation is that such partnership in the area of Information Technology Enabled Services, ITES will position Nigeria as the foremost Outsourcing destination in Africa in the more than US$600 billion market of which only about 25 per cent have been served.”

In addition, he pointed out that Nigeria is a huge market for potential investors and will welcome those with best practices which the country can tap into and adapt for its own system. “The whole ecosystem is a living organism, our relationship is a living organism, we will continue to evolve, continue to fine-tune and definitely we will get there in terms of trade and investment. There are a lot of local franchises and local people involved, and competition drives down prices. Imagine 36 states, lots of towns and villages that require these services, the market are wide open but we need to partner and learn from each other.”

Therefore, to maximize the opportunities at hand, he urged the minister to pursue her avowed mandates to “engender affordable broadband infrastructure access, promote local content development, develop the ICT industry and deploy ICT for transparent and cost effective public service delivery.”

His advice, “Open up the market and encourage the local players to play active role and with the proper empowerment and enabling ICT laws”, the country will maximize its trade potentials.

In her remarks, the CT minister expressed her displeasure over the dearth of ICT knowledge in the country particularly in the area of software skills. She promised to use her position as the minister to promote the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment, FDI’s into the country’s ICT industry while rekindling local demand and promoting favorable competition among the local and foreign companies operating in Nigeria.

According to Johnson, “Nigeria will not stop foreign companies from coming to invest in our ICT industry but what we would do is to ensure that the activities of those foreign companies are aligned with our ICT industry policy while promoting local competition.”

Already as fallout of the meeting, she said Nigeria will raise an industry regulation panel that will go to India to consummate the partnership between both countries.
Lending his voice to making Nigeria the next outsourcing hub in Africa, the Senior Special Adviser to Nigerian Vice President, Dr. Adamu Baba, explained that the world have demonstrated by action that Africa is the last frontier and “truly when you talk about Africa, you cannot forget Nigeria. With over 150 million people, we have huge internal market, comparative advantage in the areas of Business Process Outsourcing, BPO, we speak good English and the internal market can generate business and jobs for the youths.”

On his part, Mr.Mahesh Sachdev, Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria said as the leading IT outsourcing nation in the world, “Indian partnership with Nigeria will go down the annals of history as a change agent to leapfrog Nigeria’s ICT industry.”

The leader of the NASSCON delegation to Nigeria, Mr. Anil Bakht and CEO Eastern Software in his speech also signified his members’ willingness to partner with their Nigerian counterparts in mutual benefits to both countries.

Bakht said, “India is coming to invest on a long term and not just to take because of the large market. Those days are gone and the new ways are by partnerships.
“Nigerian market can only be developed by Nigerians. We are only bringing options and partnership opportunities. We are bringing solutions but we are not the ones to implement it.”

The journey towards building Africa’s outsourcing hub has started and with the enabling laws and level playing field, Nigeria is on the brink of making history on the continent.

Source:http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/10460709-ict-to-boost-nigerias-gdp-as-country-plans-outsourcing-hub-for-africa