The current economic recession in the country can be exploited for opportunities to develop technologically, says James Agada, who oversees the operations of the leading ICT company. He said this in an interview with The Nation’s correspondent, Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf.
He explained that due to the limited funds available now, businesses are looking for new and more efficient ways of carrying out their operations, which invariably are technology-related. This, he said has the potential for stimulating development in the technology sector.
Another way the recession could present opportunities according to Agada, was that that businesses that could hitherto afford individual micro infrastructure are now looking for ways they can avail themselves of opportunities of cost afforded by collective mega infrastructure.
‘We are also working on providing infrastructure as a service such, that you don’t have to buy a server because we provide you the server, and you can just connect as if it’s your own server, and pay us monthly or quarterly. And people who are resistant to that before, because we all have more money than we knew what to do with, now everybody is getting to think seriously about the fact that it’s outcome that I want to pay for.’
Also lamenting the infrastructural deficit that the country was suffering in the technology sector, he said Nigeria could do better in terms of local content in technological infrastructure if not for the lack of manufacturing capacity.
However, according to Agada, the government was not really helping the situation in the sector as the numerous and sometimes conflicting regulations stifle development in the country. ‘I think in my own opinion, one of the problems is that, we have too many regulations. And many of the regulations are not exactly directed at achieving any particular outcome.’ The Nation quotes Agada as saying.
Parts of this article originally appeared in The Nation.