Date: 27 July, 2023
By: Destiny Young
Governor Umo Eno has just created the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, thereby separating it from the hitherto Ministry of Lands and Water Resources. This is an implicitly lofty idea.
Those who have the ears of government should advise on the need to create Ministry of ICT and Innovation.
My submission is based upon the Federal Government of Nigeria’s ICT policy direction and the need to align Akwa Ibom State with the National masterplan and framework for IT and Digital Economy.
Quite a number of states in Nigeria have established their respective ICT Ministry to drive their States IT and Digital Communication Policy Direction.
The state is a sub-national tier of government and therefore should interface directly with the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology and Digital Economy.
I have made this representation in 2013 during the Administration of His Excellency, Governor Godswill Akpabio. During that time, it was the call for the appointment of Senior Special Adviser to the Government of Akwa Ibom State on ICT. You can read here: DOWNLOAD
As far as I know, Akwa Ibom State currently has no ICT policy direction and framework. The ICT Ministry should have an IT professional by education and training as the Commissioner.
As a matter of urgent attention, the Bill before the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly for the creation of Akwa Ibom State Information and Communication Technology Development Agency (AKSITDA), which passed second reading in the immediate past AKHA should be brought to life and passed into law.
AKSITDA by its creation should be the State Government agency responsible for developing policy frameworks on matters related to Information and Communication Technology.
Most global economies are driven by technology and ICT is the driver of this sweeping change.
We have depended too much on oil. The contribution of the IT sector in India’s GDP rose from 1.2% in 1998 to 10% in 2019. Exports dominate the Indian IT industry and constitute about 79% of the industry’s total revenue.
There is currently a global industrial disruption and ICT has been instrumental to this. Akwa Ibom State stands to gain more if a consideration is given to the creation of a specialised Ministry for ICT. You may read my article on “Nigeria’s ICT Policy Framework and Direction: Empowering Digital Transformation” to gain an insight into how the National ICT Policy direction drives accelerated growth.
Akwa Ibom State must therefore act as time accelerates.
Destiny Young, PhD (Cand.), MBA (Distinction), MTech (UNISA), BSc (Hons), HND
Writes from Nsit Ibom LGA.
