IT expert advocates proper implementation of ICT policies

The chief executive of Pinet Informatics Nigeria, Mr. Lanre Ajayi, has advocated proper implementation of policies in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry.

Ajayi, the immediate past president of the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) said in Lagos that the industry had a lot of appropriately formulated policies but the goals were yet to achieved due to lack of proper implementation.
He said there is the need to rethink the approach taken to implement policies in Nigeria’s ICT sector.

”We went to Ibadan for the policy direction with the Minister of Communication. The outcome of the retreat just came out, more than a year after the retreat, and the minister has two years to go. We have a Broadband Plan of 2018 target and we are in 2017, but the goal is not near achieving. We have policy directions for the industry; I am generally concerned about our approach to the policies, where we wait so late to start,” he said.

He cited the Broadband Plan, in which seven Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) were to be licensed, but had only two licensed recently, with less than two years to the target year of 2018.

He stressed that there were many milestones in the Broadband Plan that were yet to be achieved, and urged stakeholders on the need to work harder toward achieving them.

”We have an ICT policy that was ratified by the Federal Executive Council, and the essence of the policy was in recognition of convergence in the ICT industry. It implied that the regulators in the industry should merge. The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) was meant to merge with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Policies that went through different processes and took the time to develop were just ignored and not implemented,” he lamented.

He recalled the recent NAN Forum where the Minister of Communications, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, said that the ICT Road Map from 2016 to 20120 was already being implemented.

According to him, the four-year roadmap is to fast track development in the Nigeria’s ICT sector, stressing that the road map ought to have been launched four months ago but there were some delays.

”I don’t have to wait for the actual go ahead. It ought to have been launched about four months ago. The operators have all made inputs into the formulation of the road map, but I want to assure you that we are already implementing the road map. Publicizing it and getting the Federal Executive Council’s nod will be a formality because there is no alternative to what we have done,” the minister said.