Information and Communications Technology (ICT) stakeholders have called on Federal Government to put in place basic infrastructures that will drive Digital Transformation in the country.
They made this call at the 9th edition of the eWorld Forum 2018, held at Oriental Hotel, Lagos.
Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) said that there cannot be meaningful digital transformation when basic infrastructure to drive the revolution are not in place.
He state that for Digital Transformation to be efficient there is need for deployment of infrastructure to enable speed of broadband delivery and quality of service while urging on government to provide legal framework that will enable businesses thrive.
According to him, “to aid digitization there is need for deployment of infrastructure to enable speed of broadband delivery and quality of service.
“Whilst businesses in eCommence; eHealth; eAgriculture and the rest may be coming up with better digital innovation, the issue is whether the current legal framework enables these businesses thrive?”
Adebayo who represented at the event by Eno Udoma-Eniang, Regulatory & Legal Committee Chairperson at ALTON, called on Government at each level to support the massive deployment of telecom infrastructure in their domain for efficient digital transformation of their day to day activities by looking at the long-term benefits of all the infrastructure in place for better service delivery to the citizen.
Adebayo noted that ALTON is committed to the smart cities initiative by which the States in Nigeria can all be transformed to digital operating States.
Muhammed Rudman, Chief Executive Officer, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria, in his presentation titled “Nigeria’s Readiness for Digital Transformation” said that digital transformation is hitting the world in a big way and no government or business can thrive without incorporating technology in its core strategy.
He noted that since the invention of computers and later the Internet, the world has been on the march towards total digital transformation, adding that every aspect of our lives is affected by this transformation.
He stated that Nigeria’s journey to digital transformation began with the liberalization of the telecom sector which ushered in the first Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) operator and the award of the first Digital Mobile License (DML) in 2001.
He also urged government at all level to develop strategic roadmap towards digital transformation, which should be developed with input from all stakeholders.
Muyiwa Ogungboye, chief executive officer, Estream Networks, explained that the readiness of Nigeria as a country for Digital Transformation rest largely with all tiers of government and relevant government agencies be it at federal, state and local government.
He noted that although the country has concretized its readiness for Digital Transformation with the works of Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) and National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) a lot still needs to be done in the drive to digitally transform the country.
Ogungboye also commended the government on the successes already recorded over the years in entrenching Digital Transformation in the country.
