- The Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) expects President Bola Tinubu to implement policies that automate government processes and drive technology adoption in all sectors of the economy.
- The NCS specifically highlights the need for the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the health and agriculture sectors.
- It promised to offer its support and technical expertise to the government while emphasizing the importance of appointing an IT professional as Minister of Communication and Digital Economy.
The umbrella body of all IT professionals in the country, the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) has highlighted policy focus areas it is expecting from President Bola Tinubu.
The President of the Society, Prof. Adesina Shodiya, who listed the expectations in a media chat on Monday, said the NCS is hopeful that the President would put in place the right policies to ensure the automation of every government process. While noting that President Tinubu as Governor of Lagos State had shown interest in ICT by introducing Oracle to the state, he said the NCS also expects to see technology deployed to drive every sector of the economy.
Specifically, he said the government should drive the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the health and agriculture sectors. He added that there is a need to create a model of smart agriculture driven by artificial intelligence.
- “Given the nation’s population, it is impossible to continue with the tradition of mechanized farming that is not supported by So, we are expecting this government to establish technology to drive all the sectors,” he said.
Support for the government
Shodiya said that NCS as the umbrella body of all IT professionals remained ready to continue to work with the government and needed government to know its IT contributions. According to him, NCS is ready to support, advice, and give technical expertise toward ensuring that government operation is guided in leveraging technology.
He also emphasized that an IT professional who had been part of IT development in the country should be appointed as minister of communication and digital economy. According to the NCS President, at least, 20% of all appointments to be made by President Tinubu should be allocated to professionals in the respective areas so as to have balanced contributions.
Shodiya said the NCS had always been engaging and would continue to engage the government by giving technical expertise on ICT-related issues. He said that since the inception of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, NCS had been trying to engage it so as to help the government start well by trying to adopt IT in every sector.
Tinubu’s tech agenda
President Tinubu in his campaign manifesto had said he would create one million jobs, in the ICT sector alone, within his first 24 months in office. To achieve this, Tinubu said that apart from encouraging Nigerian youths who are currently in tech, he would introduce intervention programmes in the ICT Industry and other critical sectors of the Nigerian economy where the deployment of new technologies can fast-track business growth and diversification.
He added that Investing in the ICT sector and the digital economy will stimulate local industries, enhance competitiveness, increase productivity, and provide millions of Nigerians with new skills and long-term job and wealth-creation opportunities.
