There is fire on the mountain and nobody seems to be on the run; apologies to Asa, the musician, but quite honestly that is the story of Nigeria and technology.
Yes, I know that we have had some measure of foreign-led successes here and there but it is a far cry from where we ought to be. We are very quick to issue fantastic statements of how we want to become a tech power house and empower our youths with the required skills. Am I convinced that we are ready? Not quite.
Had there been any progress? Yes of course, but we need to do much more and as I have stated here and everywhere else, “technology does not understand long speeches, so let us cut the stories and do the right things which include investing massively in technology as well as the required skills.”
Recently, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, excitedly told the whole world how government plans to build six regional innovation hubs which is a welcome development but what he failed to tell us is who would manage those hubs; same government or private companies? I will leave that gist for a future piece.
That said, I present you with some emerging technologies and trends that will most likely create the next multi-billion dollar industry. How ready are we in Nigeria to take advantage of these disruptive technologies?
Internet of Things
Simply put, Internet of Things is the network of physical-devices such as smartphones, home appliances, cars, wearable devices, and almost anything else you can think of – set up with electronics, software programme, sensor devices, and network connectivity that allows these objects to acquire and exchange information.
Some practical applications of IoT include a scenario like this: you are on the way to a meeting, your car could hook up to some traffic AP and know the best route to take. In case there is a traffic jam, your car could send a text to the other party, informing them that you will be late.
Imagine if your alarm clock awakens you at 7am and then tells your coffee maker to start preparing coffee for you? What if your wearable device which you used in your workplace can tell you when and where you were most productive and share that info with other gadgets that you used while working?
Honestly, I believe that this can bring both excitement and sadness depending on one’s school of thought but what is most important is that Nigerians and Africans should be better positioned to provide services that will meet the needs of local and international partakers of IoT. — Finish Reading on the Punch Website
