FG Urged to Ban Importation of Foreign Computer Hardware

Emma Okonji

The federal government has been called upon to toe the path of Indian government by placing restriction order on all foreign computer hardware, in order to promote local production and assemblage of indigenous computer in Nigeria.

Some Nigerian technocrats and ICT professionals who recommended the India policy for the Nigerian government, argued that a ban on importation of computers and allied hardware would give a boost to the indigenous companies producing same products in-country, some of which are struggling.

India recently imposed restrictions on importation of laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers and ultra-small computers and servers with immediate effect.

According to the technocrats, the move to do same in Nigeria is in the spirit of product nationalism whereby countries deliberately promote patronage of home- made products and services to boost local productivity, create more jobs, encourage proficiency, and discourage capital flight.

They therefore urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to look at the Indian policy on importation of computer hardware and do same in Nigeria.

Former President, Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), and Fellow of Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Mr. Chris Uwaje, said President Tinubu should adopt the Indian policy as well as make it mandatory that all foreign computer manufacturers set up local production facilities in Nigeria in partnership with indigenous computer companies.

To further encourage such partnership, he recommends that such new manufacturers should be given pioneer status incentives of a minimum of five to seven years.

Another ICT expert, Mr. Dotun Ali-Balogun, urged President Tinubu to mandate that all government ICT operations are run on the technical strength of locally assembled computers.

His thought was corroborated by two others, Messrs Michael Ikeogwu and Ayodele Ogundele who posited that now is the best time for the federal government to adopt Buy-Nigeria policy in ICT as a way of discouraging capital flight and encouraging local productivity.

The new Indian policy is exactly what the Tinubu government should do, Balogun said.

“The Federal Government should adopt a policy that bans importation of computer hardware, especially those that are already being assembled in Nigeria. This will not only help boost local production, it will encourage efficiency in local production, create jobs, direct and indirect, through the entire value chain, including marketers, support services and logistics,” Balogun added.