The Nigerian Information Communications Technology industry have good policies in its arsenal capable of accelerating progress in the sector, but lack of proper implementation of such policies remains a bottleneck, experts have said.
According to Lanre Ajayi, the Chief Executive Officer of Pinet Informatics Nigeria, the industry have series of appropriately formulated policies in its disposal but trails due to lack of proper implementation.
The industry expert believes that if these policies are not properly implemented, all efforts to achieve the set goals in the industry would be futile.
Adding that there is the need to restrategise the approach taken to implement policies in Nigeria’s ICT sector.
”We went to Ibadan for the policy direction with the Minister of Communication.
“The outcome of the retreat just came out, more than a year after the retreat, and the minister has two years to go.
”We have a Broadband Plan of 2018 target and we are in 2017, but the goal is not near achieving.
”We have policy directions for the industry; I am generally concerned about our approach to the policies, where we wait so late to start,” he News Agency Nigeria.
Ajayi said that in the Broadband Plan, seven Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) were to be licensed, but recently only two had been licensed, with less than two years to the target year of 2018.
He said that there were many milestones in the Broadband Plan that were yet to be achieved, adding that there was the need to work harder toward achieving them.
”We have an ICT policy that was rectified by the Federal Executive Council; and the essence of the policy was in recognition of convergence in the ICT industry.
”It implied that the regulators in the industry should merge.
The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) was meant to merge with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
”Policies that went through different processes and took time to develop were just ignored and not implemented,” the IT expert said.
According to reports that emerged from the recently organised NAN Forum, the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu said that the ICT Road Map from 2016 to 2020 was already being implemented.
The four-year road map is to fast track development in the Nigeria’s ICT sector.
He said that the road map ought to have been launched four months ago but there were some delays.
”I don’t have to wait for the actual go ahead. It ought to have been launched about four months ago.
”The operators have all made inputs into the formulation of the road map, but I want to assure you that we are already implementing the road map.
”Publicising it and getting the Federal Executive Council’s nod will be a formality because there is no alternative to what we have done,” the Minister told NAN.
