Nigeria: ICT use by Business
If I was a
business in Nigeria that relied on IT as an enabler…
The banking,
farming, and manufacturing industries in Nigeria rely heavily on information
technology as an enabler. If I operated
a business in any of these industries, access to reliable Internet connections
would be critical. To overcome some of the IT challenges in Nigeria, I would
first establish a reliable power source. The use of solar power is becoming
increasingly popular given the frequent outages. A number of companies are starting to use wireless links to circumvent
the use of faulty land-lines and poor switching capacity. If I operated a large
firm like Shell Oil Company of Nigeria with a presence in many locations, I
would consider using a similar solution. Shell built its own local loop
connecting one of its offices to a local point-of-presence a few kilometers
away, using microwave radio links.[1]
For a smaller firm, I would be comfortable using a local ISP. Their services are
reliable and becoming more and more affordable.
Companies are developing
very creative ways to overcome access to technology for their businesses and
access is less of an issue. The biggest challenge is finding qualified IT
professionals. For a small business, one consideration is resource sharing. If
there are other non-competitive businesses in the area perhaps I could “rent”
staff as needed for IT. There are several outsource firms in the region. If I
could not hire qualified staff, I would outsource that function.
The government
should be an enabler and not a hindrance to new businesses particular foreign
businesses coming to Nigeria. The laws around ICT use historically have been
pretty lax but this too is changing. In 2000, Nigeria was recognized by the WIPO
for President Obasanjo’s leadership and commitment to intellectual
property in Nigeria.[2]
