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132 INDUSTRIAL INFRASTRUCTURE Supporting the IT sector The increasing use of ICT across the country has prompted the government to develop strategies to boost the struggling IT industry INvEST IN NIGERIA 2012-13
The information and communications technology industry has been hailed as the next big growth area in Nigeria. But as Martyn Cornell discovers, much could depend on the level of foreign investment in the sector, and whether this would encourage native-born IT talent to come back home hard-working, entrepreneurial in nature and hungry for technology. If given the chance and the enabling environment to develop their inherent skills, they will not only thrive but will make Nigerians and Africans proud.” With these words, the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, announced at the end of January 2012 plans to build an initial four software-incubation centres in Nigeria to help the country’s software developers, part of a booming Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector, tap into the multibillion dollar worldwide applications-development market. The Youth Empowerment and ICT Foundation programme, sponsored by the “The youth of Nigeria are dynamic, Jim Ovia Foundation, includes as its strategic partners some of the biggest names in global IT – Google, IBM and Microsoft – as well as local companies, including the Nigerian telecoms firm Visafone and the Lagos-based website designer TLC Solutions. A committee has been set up with figures from both the private and public sectors to develop a framework for the establishment of more technology incubation centres across the country, Johnson said at the time. The initial effort includes a “world-class” software training programme being run by the Jim Ovia Foundation for 350 youths in Lagos and pilot technology business incubation centres in Abuja, Lagos, Calabar, Kano and Port Harcourt. It is part of a strategy to boost the Nigerian IT sector, using local talent partnered with overseas expertise and support. It also includes the founding of a professionally managed IT innovation venture-capital fund with initial seed capital provided by the Nigerian government, together with contributions from the private sector; support for start-up concerns in the form of business services; a strong mentoring framework involving successful business entrepreneurs offering INDUSTRIAL INFRASTRUCTURE 133 advice, guidance and support; and a “transparent and credible” process to select the initial start-up “incubates”. Johnson admitted that in the past, Nigeria’s software developers had complained that the government had failed to give the IT industry enough support, either by providing the proper infrastructure for innovation to blossom, or through policies such as tax breaks, tariffs and levies designed to boost and protect Nigerian IT companies. Nigerian software companies also complained that local venture capitalists shied away from funding start-ups in technology sectors that seem “complicated”, and in the past there has been a lack of funding bodies focused on information technology. The result has been that Nigeria has lost an estimated N18.9 billion ($117 million) in the past five years in money that has gone abroad because of the purchase of foreign software that could have been developed at home, said Johnson. “We in the Ministry understand these issues well, and there is clarity about the role that government can and should play,” Johnson said. The new IT framework has been designed to tackle the problems software developers in Nigeria have been facing, and build a thriving software industry, she added. “Everything is being done in strong partnership and Encouraging private operators to rollout a nationwide high-speed internet infrastructure is a priority collaboration with the private sector and industry stakeholders. We hope that business entrepreneurs, state governments, unilateral bodies and even like-minded groups of youths will adopt this framework.” The announcement of the training and incubation initiative, called ‘Developing Nigeria’s Next Generation of ICT Entrepreneurs’, came just weeks after the unveiling of a new ICT policy by the Ministry of Communication Technology that is designed to be the overarching guide and platform for the development of Nigeria’s ICT industry, with the aim of creating a digital, knowledge-based economy in the country. The ambition is to push the contribution of ICT to Nigeria’s GDP up from its current figure of four per cent to six per cent by 2015. One of the priorities of Nigeria’s new IT strategy is to encourage private operators to roll-out a nationwide high-speed INvEST IN NIGERIA 2012-13
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Invest in NIGERIA 2012-13 Published
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Invest in NIGERIA 2012-13 Editor La
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Trade Facilitation/Development Init
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Contents Forewords 16 21 The Policy
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44 Promoting free and fair election
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120 Industrial Infrastructure 124 1
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16 FOREWORD Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
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Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nig
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since 1989 Rotary kiln incinerators
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Pushing boundaries An emerging lead
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24 the policy agenda Realising Nige
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Foreign policy and the investment e
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28 the policy agenda prospects of l
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www.nosakgroup.com Corporate Offi c
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32 the policy agenda Democracy and
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Sustainable business, social repons
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36 the policy agenda There is no do
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38 the policy agenda Working to ach
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40 the policy agenda they had sexua
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42 the policy agenda “The improve
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44 the policy agenda Promoting free
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46 the policy agenda The April 2011
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48 the economy and finance Nigeria
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Murphy Shipping…………Bridging
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52 the economy and finance has been
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Since 1994, Nigeria Inter-Bank Sett
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56 the economy and finance Facts an
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58 the economy and finance petroleu
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Driving growth through Mobile Money
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elevating the country to the upper
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Zenith Bank plc Zenith Bank was est
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the economy and finance 67 Public r
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Improving Nigeria’s electricity n
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supply of electricity, though, will
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oil, gas and minerals 73 Nigeria’
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aBc Human development consultants l
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oil, gas and minerals 77 The decisi
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Empowering Nigeria Seven Energy Int
Page 81 and 82: Reliable partner in NIGERIA JASCON
Page 83 and 84: Crude oil exports by destination, 2
Page 85 and 86: The leading indigenous suppliers of
Page 87 and 88: DrillPet International Limited (DIL
Page 89 and 90: Step on the gas The Nigerian Gas Ma
Page 91 and 92: The original GMP proposed a gas inf
Page 93 and 94: Find out more at www.oriental-er.co
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Page 97 and 98: NEITI: the Nigerian Extractive Indu
Page 99 and 100: Cakasa (Nigeria) Company Limited St
Page 101 and 102: The government has ambitious plans
Page 103 and 104: Potential for growth The Nigerian g
Page 105 and 106: Oil and the Niger Delta Nigeria’s
Page 107 and 108: Shell estimates it has an additiona
Page 109 and 110: High Voltage transmission sending s
Page 111 and 112: Despite being rich in natural resou
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Page 119 and 120: www.ilf.com ILF - Engineering Excel
Page 121 and 122: of one gigawatt coal-fired power pl
Page 123 and 124: © 2012 Caterpillar All Rights Rese
Page 125 and 126: The National Economic Development P
Page 127 and 128: Vehicle imports General cargo Conta
Page 130 and 131: Engineering & Construction STEMCO,
Page 134 and 135: 134 INDUSTRIAL INFRASTRUCTURE One o
Page 136 and 137: 136 SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE Populatio
Page 138 and 139: 138 SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE Tackling
Page 140 and 141: 140 SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE the chanc
Page 142 and 143: 142 SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE Healthcar
Page 144 and 145: 144 SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE Obstetric
Page 146 and 147: 146 agriculture and water Growing t
Page 148 and 149: Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, Wate
Page 150 and 151: 150 agriculture and water sesame an
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Page 158 and 159: 158 media, tourism aNd culture The
Page 160 and 161: 160 MEDIA, TOURISM AND CULTURE A ci
Page 162 and 163: 162 MEDIA, TOURISM AND CULTURE Top
Page 164 and 165: 164 DIRECTORY Government ministries
Page 166 and 167: 166 DIRECTORY Tel: 236 0521, 236 05
Page 168 and 169: 168 DIRECTORY United States of Amer
Page 170 and 171: 170 Index of advertisers Aero .....
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