Can Nigeria’s tech ecosystem truly develop in the real sense without steady power supply?
I had to ask this question because of the epileptic power supply and perennial fuel scarcity in the last few weeks that had left our small business in dire straits.
Let’s simply put it this way, more small businesses will die be it tech or otherwise irrespective of what government preaches except there is an urgent intervention in the power situation in the country.
Ever since the likes of James Watt, Lord Kelvin, Thomas Seebeck, Michael Faraday, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein and many more inventors from the 1800s to the 1900s evolved and perfected the use of electricity; which improved the industrial revolution that was hitherto driven by steam; the world has never been the same again.
Let’s state this fact: there is simply no technological advancement or innovation without steady power supply and in the same vein, no power or electricity ecosystem (generation, distribution, billing or what have you) without modern technology. It is absolutely impossible in both cases; they are partners in progress.
Electricity became the fulcrum on which many other inventions, chief of which is the technology revolution that has now turned the universe into a global village through internet connectivity.
Today, within the twinkling of an eye, you can transact and close business deals with anyone, anywhere in the world without leaving the comfort of your home through an internet-connected computer device powered by electricity.
Technology and its variants of innovations, of which electricity is a major one, I have always maintained, has come to make our daily living a lot easier. There is no doubt that the high unemployment rate we are presently facing in Nigeria can be drastically reduced with relatively stable supply of electricity.
Many people will find their employment bearing in what is usually called the blue collar job sector of the economy, which is capable of accommodating millions of employable Nigerians. Name it: welding workshops, barbing saloons, hair dressing saloons, internet cafés, fashion designers, cold rooms, etc., will all have stable jobs if they have access to stable electricity to run their businesses seamlessly.
Also, and importantly too, manufacturing will once again boom in Nigeria as factories will be able to run their machines at cheaper electricity rates compared to the exorbitant cost of running them at present on diesel generators. This means that there will be a reduction in the cost of — Finish Reading on the Punch Website
