Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson

Emma Okonji

Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, has called on local Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and assemblers of indigenous computers as well as computer traders, to consider the inclusion of local content in their business.

The minister, who spoke with key stakeholders of the Lagos Computer Village recently, said it was imperative to raise the bar of local content, in order to develop the technology that will benefit Nigerians.

Johnson expressed dissatisfaction over the wide gap that exists between indigenous OEMs and their foreign counterparts, and explained that the gap has made it difficult for the proper growth of local content in the nation’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) market.

The minister said there was need for synergy between the government, indigenous OEMs as well as retailers and that plans to sanitise the market was underway.

Chief Executive Officer, Slot Systems Limited, Mr. Nnamdi Ezeigbo, had earlier called on government to sanitise the Computer Village market, popularly called Otigba Market, in order to make it more attractive to all classes of buyers.

He commended the minister for her passion in driving ICT in the country, and called on stakeholders to play up the local content space rather than watch it die prematurely.

‘Every stakeholder is optimistic that the various reforms carried out by the Federal Government in the ICT sector and championed by the minister, holds the key to future growth in the country,” Ezeigbo said.
He called on the minister to come up with policies that would promote indigenous ICT products, software development, and development of ICT parts.

Ezeigbo condemned the influx of grey and substandard products in the market, especially non type approved phones that had flooded the market in recent times.

"We have implored the minister to focus more on practical aspects such as the development of skills, and to promote local content development in the country, in order to raise the contributions of ICT to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” Ezeigbo said.