Matters eRising Blog
Tasks before the new Minister of Communications Technology
By SEGUN ORUAME
Perhaps, more than any other ministry, the new Ministry of
Communication Technology most personified President Goodluck
Jonathan’s innate desire to enlist Nigeria in the Knowledge Economy.
The president could add the successful launch of two additional
satellites: NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X to his rising profile as
the most IT-compliant president this country has had so far – though
his Facebook page, once very active before the April polls, appeared
to have gone on recess.
The new ministry indicates that government is ready to broaden its
economic agenda beyond crude oil and begin the process of
re-engineering Nigeria’s development the same way the leading
countries in Asia have opted to enter the new Knowledge Economy.
With massive investment in ICTs and success stories in the
deployment and integration of ICT tools to their national economies,
China and India have proved the point: developing countries can
leapfrog their economies by focusing on ICTs.
China and India combined with a population in excess of two billion
offer the biggest green market for new technologies. India is a
leading force in software applications and China provides about the
most powerful competition to the entire west (US and Europe) in
terms of ICT output. That is why Mrs. Omobola Olubusola Johnson, the
new Minister of Communication Technology has a great burden resting
on her shoulder. She has been hired to create the right synergy for
which Africa’s biggest market of 150 million people could leapfrog
her economy.
Johnson is heading a new ministry, the fruit of a long struggle by
stakeholders to have a government administrative center completely
dedicated to the re-configuration of Nigeria’s economy and national
life through concerted and sustainable ICT policy thrust. It was a
struggle getting this ministry established. It would be a greater
struggle still to achieve the objectives for which the ministry was
established. There would be convictions to sell and doubts to dispel
over the credibility of the ministry itself and its new boss whom
many die-hard stakeholders consider an outsider.
Johnson accepted this much in her first interaction with the media
in Lagos. “This Ministry was birthed out of years of canvassing by
key stakeholders for a supervising Ministry to co-ordinate,
facilitate and drive the development of the ICT sector.” She has
also recognized the need to take all stakeholders along as she
guides government agenda on ICT. “The Ministry of Communication
Technology is a new Ministry and as with all things new awareness
building, information dissemination, opinion forming are critical.
As such the media will play a critical role in the success of this
Ministry.”
The media is only a part of a whole. Johnson will have to bring to
the sector an inspiring sense of leadership and committed vision
that will include not exclude green ideas, original and objective
thinking that would be decisive in the years ahead to gauge her
tenure and ultimately, the destiny of Nigeria’s ICT mission.
As she herself has itemized, her mandate include but not limited to:
· Facilitating universal, ubiquitous and cost effective access to
communications infrastructure that of course includes a national
fibre optic backbone
· Promote the utilization of ICT in all spheres of life to optimize
the communications infrastructure – digital content, domestic
software applications, the delivery of private and public services
i.e. ebusiness and egovernment
· Promote and facilitate the development of the ICT industry and in
so doing Increase the contribution of the ICT industry to GDP
· Deploy information and communication technologies to drive
transparency in governance and improve the quality and cost
effectiveness of public service delivery.
If she can achieve half of the set mandate in the conceivable years
ahead, she would have set the tone for how Africa’s biggest ICT
market would play in the Knowledge Economy. With over 90 million
mobile phone subscribers, over 27 million Internet users or about
the population of neigbouring Ghana and two other ECOWAS country
combined; some army of software applications builders; and a host of
other ICT entrepreneurs; Johnson faces a formidable challenge as
minister on a mission.
If she succeeds above 75%, she would also have helped to increase
the depth of ICT in our national economy from the current 3.5% of
GDP, compared with 10% for South Africa. Despite all that noise
about Nigeria’s ICT revolution, ICT still plays a near insignificant
role in our national economy. It is Johnson’s task to increase the
tally. Hers is to increase the degree at which ICT is successfully
integrated to all facets of the economy. The good thing is that she
is going to apply government government’s policies in an industry
that is yearning for quick growth.
Johnson would be engaging an industry that is already contending
with the challenges of convergence; the emergence of mobile money
that is collapsing the boundaries between the financial sector and
the mobile telephony with internet sector; she would be addressing
the challenges posed by the erasure of border lines between
broadcasting and mobile telephony with web applications. The issues
are as plentiful as they are contentious. She would have to apply a
pragmatic policy thrust to answering so many questions including how
to move Nigeria’s ICT sector from being 100% import-dependent to
less than 60%.
Fortunately, Johnson comes with an admirable pedigree in the private
sector and a formidable credential that lends her readily to the
job. Hopefully, this would help her to build a Ministry not shackled
by the overload of bureaucracy and the consequence incompetency. She
must not allow herself the ‘mis-luxury’ of the delusion that comes
with occupying government’s position in Nigeria. She has history to
make. If she wants an inspiring guide, she has China and India to
look up to. She could either end up as the minister who came like
others – big space, large airs but no oxygen. Or, she could remind
us that Singaapore is also a country run by humans. Therefore, she
would work, think and lead. And make us have hope that Nigeria could
also be a Singapore.
Under her, the new Ministry will be implementing government policies
through the agencies that are now under her portfolio. They include:
the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigerian
Communications Satellite NIGCOMSAT, the National Information
Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Galaxy Backbone and the
Nigerian Postal service (NIPOST). This new minister already has a
challenge. Part of it includes the issues of duplicity. Both
NIGCOMSAT Limited and Galaxy Backbone are in the connectivity and
bandwidth delivery business. The Honourable Minister would have to
bring her background to bear to cut down on waste and achieve a
greater sense of efficiency.
It is not smooth road for Mrs. Omobola Olubusola Johnson. But she
has time and prosperity on her side to work and work well. If she
succeeds, she would have made her own unique mark and add to the
desired success that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan aspires for.
Indeed, this Minister has only one option: To succeed.
