The skyrocketing foreign exchange rate
in the country has created immense opportunities for local players in
the Nigerian Information Technology market, the Managing Director of
Systemspecs, Mr. John Obaro, has said.
Obaro, who spoke at the 2016 Nigerian
Internet Governance Forum in Abuja on Friday, said government agencies
and companies that had always fancied patronising foreign software and
applications were now exploring local alternatives because of high
exchange rates.
The Systemspec boss, who was represented
at the event by the Head of Abuja Bureau of the company, Mr. Uche
Obiofor, said even those that had installed foreign software had now
found that paying for the renewal could be higher than the cost of local
options.
Speaking on the topic, ‘Harnessing
indigenous innovations for inclusive development and smatter Nigeria’,
Obaro said falling oil prices, skyrocketing exchange rate and increasing
inflation rate were opportunities in disguise for growing the local
market.
Obaro said it was imperative for the
government to provide the enabling environment for harnessing the
capacity of Nigerians by increasing capacity through intense educational
programmes and camping.
It was also important, he said, to
implement policies and programmes of government to meet the needs of the
nation’s predominantly youthful population as well as to encourage
entrepreneurs to thrive by creating a business-friendly environment.
Besides, he added, entrenching a system
of training that constantly equips the workforce and assists them to
upgrade their knowledge as well as challenging the universities with
specific problems would enhance the capacity of the country in
contributing to the evolving information society.
The Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian
Communications Commission, Prof. Umaru Danbatta, said the forum provided
an opportunity for all stakeholders to actively participate and have a
say in how the Internet was developed and governed.
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