Nigeria launches local content guidelines

Nigeria’s Minister of Communication Technology has unveiled new local content guidelines for the Nigerian ICT sector.

In a move aimed at increasing the scale and scope of the domestic ICT market and facilitate its growth, Minister Omobola Johnson announced the new guidelines at the eNigeria 2013 conference.

Johnson said that with the presentation of the Nigerian Content guidelines, Nigeria had reached a significant milestone in its journey to the target of 50% local content in the ICT industry.

She said the new guidelines would enable the local ICT industry to contribute meaningfully towards the achievement of national development targets; and would stimulate and increase the production, sales, consumption of high quality information technology products and services developed by indigenous companies that serve the needs of the local and global market

source: www.biztechafrica.com

Nigcom sat boss advocates use of satellite broadband in rural areas

Timasaniyu Ahmed-Rufai, chief executive officer of the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) has advocated the need to develop requisite policy that encourages the use of satellite broadband as primary source of internet in rural and swampy areas. According to him, satellite technology can serve as redundancy in areas with fibre optics to mitigate against cuts, damages and theft considering Nigeria’s geography, lack of channelised roads, subways, railways and poor urban and regional planning. Ahmed-Rufai made this remark at 2013 e-Nigeria conference on local content hosted by Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) recently in Abuja. Ahmed-Rufai said Satellite Communications can indeed deliver efficient and affordable broadband because it has been a major means of broadcast, mass media, free to air television (TV) medical science especially Tele-medicine, e-learning among others.

In his paper entitled, “Satellite based broadband in Nigeria, prospects and challenges”’, the NIGCOMSAT bossm said broadband could improve economies and create a win-win situation for governments. He listed seemingly misgivings and scepticism of policy makers that broadband can actually deliver services and improve the wellbeing of citizens. He asked critical questions about the importance of broadband for socio-economic development. “Why would a nation struggling to provide basic amenities worry about broadband? Will broadband connectivity really drive the nation’s economy or just make internet connections faster?Can broadband create jobs, enhance safety and security and improve healthcare, literacy rate and promote all inclusive democracy?”

source: www.businessdayonline.com