Emma Okonji
The newly elected president of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), Mr. Bimbo Abioye has predicted that Nigeria will transcend from being a software consuming nation to becoming a software producing nation in the next two years.
Abioye who stated this during the inauguration of the newly elected National Executive Council (NEC) members of ISPON, shortly after its Emergency General Meeting (EGM) and election in Lagos last week, said although it looked like a daunting task to achieve, but assured Nigerians that through commitment to innovation, it would be achieved in the first two years tenure of the new NEC by 2025.
According to him, “The newly elected exco will uphold and protect the vision of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), which was established to serve the interests of software practitioners, by ensuring that each member gets the opportunity to grow locally and internationally. We will ensure that Nigeria transcends from software consuming nation to software producing nation in 2025. This is our promise to Nigeria and if we are able to achieve it in the next two years, it will provide digital job opportunities for Nigeria that will help drive her digital transformation dream. Achieving it is a daunting task no doubt, but we will get it done through dedication and commitment.”
Addressing the issue of local software patronage, Abioye said: “We will be actively involved in national advocacy, calling for active participation in the Nigerian software dream. We will encourage Ministries, Departments and Agencies of governments (MDAs), including the private sector to embrace software Nigeria, and patronise it in order to support its growth. We will also ensue that Nigeria produces quality software that will meet the needs of Nigerians as well as the needs of multinational companies operating in Nigeria. Today we have local software that performs optimally better than most foreign software imported into the country. Software business is about trust, because the software codes are not tangible, but embedded into the computer system to perform certain operations via commands. It is for this reason that ISPON must ensure that software developed in Nigeria, must be tested and trusted for use.”
Presenting the keynote paper with the theme: “AI- National Software Challenges, Opportunities and Risks,” Dr. Evans Woherem, described Artificial Intelligence (AI) as the infusion of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think and learn like humans. He said AI emerged as a technology that empowers machines to exhibit human-like intelligence, enabling the machines to perform tasks that typically require human cognitive abilities such as understanding language, recognising images, making decisions and learning from experience.
