Nigerians connect to internet daily, say foundation, Google
Connectivity
Director, Ventures Capital Foundation (VPF) says an average
of 15 million people use social media in Nigeria but laments
that many don’t go beyond sending messaging and making
calls.
Obioha said this on Sunday during an interview with the News
Agency of Nigeria(NAN) Abuja.
NAN reports that VPF in collaboration with Google West
Africa and OC&C Consult recently launehed a report
titled ‘Tech Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Research
–Nigeria’ to help develop technological sector of the
economy.
‘ “In the process of gathering data on challenges and
prospects of Nigerian technology sector, it was discovered
that about 15 million Nigerians go on internet daily.
“We also discovered that most online users in the country
use the basic messenger and phone eall services, while there
are other benefits of internet like banking, learning
shopping, trading, healthy living, etc.
“The next gold after oil is human minds which means that
countries with large population has large resources .
“It also means that every person has potential of becoming
a complete refinery all by oneself.
With computer programming and literacy, one person can
actually build an empire,” he said.
Obioha said Examples the nation had potential of producing
many “Bill Gates, Mark Zukerberg “ if there was adequate
focus to harness human resources in such area.
“It is really important that our country, as a matter of
policy figures out ways to improve and encourage this
development,” he said.
On the significance of the report, Obioha mentioned key
critical components that it provided adequate data on their
prospects and challenges with recommendations on development
to global height.
“That can be done through incentifying investment in
startups; creating regulatory frameworks that make it easier
to build companies in the country,” he said.
“ There is need to improve Digital skills components in
order to catalyse the market, it helps to create more people
that can be creators of technology.
“There is a market activation component. This is important
for a nation of over 180million people but not all of them
are ready markets for digital products.
“There is also need to ensure that more people have access
to internet through affordable means and provision of
infrastructures especially, power,” he said.
Similarly, Mrs. Titi Akinsanmi,Head,Public Policy and
Government Relations,Google (West Africa, said the nation
was a potential technology giant if it could fill identified
gaps.
“Nigeria has capacity to become giant in technology
development because of its huge human capacity, all that is
required is to fill existing gaps in its technology
development components”
NAN reports that the report was launched in Abuja on
Wednesday with the representatives of Federal Ministries of
Science and Technology; Trade and Investment in
attendant.(NAN)
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