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Teniola: ICT sector should learn from oil and gas on local content development

By Adeyemi Adepetun
13 November 2016   |   2:07 am
It is pretty low from the lofty expectations in 2002. By now we should have achieved 40 to 50 per cent local content development within the ICT industry.
ATCON President, Mr Olusola Teniola

ATCON President, Mr Olusola Teniola

Olushola Teniola is the President, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON). In this interview with ADEYEMI ADEPETUN, he said the ICT sector can learn from the oil and gas sector, which has successfully, integrate local content development in their operations.

What percentage of ICT could be said to be locally sourced?
According to data at hand, approximately 10 per cent of all Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services and products are sourced locally by multinational corporations, indigenous companies and telecommunications operators in Nigeria.

Do we really have a local content policy in ICT sector?
One is being drawn up as we speak and under review before being released for public consultation.

How much compliance has been achieved since 2002 when President Obasanjo gave directive to government offices to patronise ICT provable and reliable local content?
It is pretty low from the lofty expectations in 2002. By now we should have achieved 40 to 50 per cent local content development within the ICT industry.

What are the challenges hindering Nigeria’s drive to develop local capacity in ICT?
Buying ‘Made in Nigeria’ is a mantra that has proven to be a hard sell in Nigeria amongst procurement departments, key decision makers and government. There was a time that Zinox assembled PCs and donated to some MDA(s) between 2007 to 2009, however, globalisation of Original Equipment Manufacturers products, especially Dell Computers and others have forced pricing, quality and availability against the political will to promote, protect and encourage ‘Made-in-Nigeria’ products, which means that it has been very easy for decision makers to select those ICT services and products from outside Nigeria and make the industry import dependent.

How will you compare adherence to local content policy (if any) in ICT sector and other sectors in Nigeria?
The challenges of relying on foreign-based technology are not unique to the ICT sector and transverses all other sectors, right from the basics to the complex solutions. One sector that has attempted to address this imbalance is the Oil and Gas sector, for which, we in the ICT industry can learn from and adopt some of their policy directives, to improve the current status quo.

Who leads enforcement of local content campaign?
The Ministry of Communications under the current leadership of the Minister Barrister Adebayo Shittu should champion that course.

How can the present day government make positive impact in terms of rekindling hope of local content drive?
Through effective regulation, enforcement of NOTAP rules, policing via the Office of Local Content Development in ICT (ONC) and buy in by all stakeholders into government’s desire to readdress the imbalance will make and drive positive impacts going forward.

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