Etisalat Nigeria says it recognises the need for local expertise to grow human capital and develop the telecoms industry in Nigeria.
Ibrahim Dikko, Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at Etisalat Nigeria, who dropped this hint at the fifth edition of the quarterly sustainable conversations, themed “ICT for Sustainability Development: Aligning Challenges with Potential,” organised by the mobile phone company in collaboration with Thistle Praxis recently in Lagos.
A panel of discussants in the ICT industry was present at the session to discuss issues facing ICT development and to proffer possible solutions.
Dikko noted that sustainability in technology runs beyond creating existing infrastructure because they must outlive the present and benefit the future.
“This is one of the reasons why we initiated the Etisalat Telecommunications Engineering Programme (ETEP) in Ahmadu Bello University Zaria to train Nigerians in this field, because we recognized the need for local expertise in the telecommunications industry”, Dikko told attendees at the forum.
Likewise, Ini Onuk, Lead Consultant and Chief Executive Officer of Thistle Praxis Consulting noted that technology is an integral part of society and has a huge impact on development. According to her, technology has come to assume increased relevance because of the speed of changes in the present day society. “It’s about time Nigerians started developing apps and innovative technological products that can help make living easier in Nigeria. There are many ICT companies and startup tech companies springing up in Nigeria today and we must define ways to make them sustainable.”
Notable discussants at the session included Evans Woherem, Founder/Chairman, Digital Africa Consult, Odo Effiong, Special Adviser on ICT Development, Cross River State Government, Chika Nwobi, CEO of Level5Labs, Nkemdilim Begho, CEO of Future Soft Nigeria and Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, Gbenga Sesan.
Conversations at the session will culminate in the publishing of white papers, which would be forwarded to relevant organisations, agencies of government and other stakeholders, according to the event organisers.
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Nigerian telecoms sector
