The Institute of Software Practitioners
of Nigeria has described the Nigerian software industry as capable of
contributing massively to the economy in terms of value creation and
capacity building.
The institute also said that software
solutions emanating from the country had what it takes to compete
effectively in the global arena.
The President, ISPON, Dr. Chris Uwaje, at
the 5th Presidential Dinner of the institute held in Lagos, said at
this challenging and significant moment of the country’s national
development, Nigeria was faced with the task of articulating and
mastering its IT strategy as an effective response to the emerging
information society.
Making reference to the theme of the
dinner, ‘Software: As Sustainable Intellectual Property for the
Development of Nigeria,’ Uwaje said there would be no sustainable and
meaningful development without innovative acumen.
He said, “For a very long time, Africans
(and Nigerians in particular) have been indoctrinated, intimidated and
confused about software engineering knowledge and capability in the
digital realm.
“It is therefore unacceptable to affirm
that Africa/Nigeria cannot develop functional software – which sums up
that Africans cannot think logically. We can make ‘Software Nigeria’ the
winning story for the sustainable development of Nigeria’s future!
After-all, software is life.”
In the same vein, the Managing Director,
ActivEdge Technologies Limited, a pan African Information Technology
company, Mr. George Agu, commended the President of ISPON and all
members of the institute for their initiatives and effort towards
promoting software development in Nigeria, and by extension, the local
content agenda.
He said the lack of corresponding
commitment and commensurate actions by decision makers both in the
public and private sectors had been a major concern to those who bought
into the cause.
He said, “It has been a source of
demotivation to software practitioners and a major source of motivation
for some of us who would rely on strategic international partnerships to
run successful IT business.
“My personal opinion still remains that
government should come up with regulations that control the scope and
type of software that organisations, public or private, are allowed to
source from overseas.”
He said local software development
appeared to be one frontier where Africa could still be relevant in the
production of goods that it also consumed looking at the entire value
chain, stressing that it was common knowledge and experience today in
Nigeria that virtually everything “we own and use are foreign except our
land resources.
He said, “More recently, our children are
being shipped overseas for education, so, one wonders how we cope in a
society where everything is virtually imported except our land resources
(water, land, and so on). This certainly cannot be allowed to continue.
“While I am not against importation of
goods or services (as there is no country yet that doesn’t import one
form of goods/services or the other), my position is that we can’t
possibly fold our hands and not chart a course to developing an industry
that we can be good or best at. One such industry can be software
development because the potentials are huge; the products from it can be
consumed both locally and internationally.”
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