Addressing Challenges in Nigeria’s Tech Landscape
TECH HUB
Ayodeji Ake writes that without tackling the basic challenges confronting the tech ecosystem, Nigeria may be found wanting on the global tech map.
on May 29, 2023, President Bola Tinubu unveiled his Renewed Hope agenda, which also included prioritising the Nigerian tech industry and creating millions of jobs for youths in line with his strategy to reduce unemployment.
This agenda birthed the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program through the office of the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Mr. Bosun Tijani.
The 3MTT programme aims at building Nigeria’s technical talent backbone to power its digital economy and position Nigeria as a net talent exporter.
At various meetings Tinubu had with global business leaders and including that with the tech founder of Microsoft and Co-Chair of the Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, President Tinubu was able to persuasively convince the billionaire to invest in Nigerian technology and other sectors.
However, despite these efforts by the federal government to position Nigeria on the global tech map, challenges still abound with little efforts to address them.
Factors Hindering Tech Development
Speaking to THISDAY, a Nigerian-based tech expert, Mr. Abiodun Adebayo, lamented that although Nigeria was channeling efforts to ensure the tech industry was developed under the present administration, the issue of poor power supply seems to be one of the major threats.
He noted that digitalisation has promoted remote jobs across all sectors, noting however that it has been difficult for the tech industry to perform. Even with backup plans like – generators and solar, the removal of fuel subsidy that resulted to hike in the price of petrol, is taking a toll on the output of the industry. Speaking further, Adebayo, noted that poor internet facilities was also hindering the tech industry from attaining its full potential. He revealed that some tech experts residing in Nigeria who work for international brands risk losing their jobs due to poor internet facilities.
“You pay for a subscription and yet don’t get value for your money. No employer enjoys excuses,” he said.
In the same vein, the tech expert lamented lack of internet access even in the urban areas.
“Challenges hindering tech development in Nigeria include inadequate infrastructure, shortage of electricity, and limited and slow internet access. “Lack of adequate funding for research studies. Difficulty with access to capital, privacy and trust issues, and use of inadequate devices by Nigerian
“One significant factor is the lack of infrastructure and resources. Developed countries are advanced in infrastructure and resources. While Nigeria still struggles with inadequate infrastructure for technological development. This includes poor internet connectivity and limited access to electricity in some areas.
“When you compare technology in Nigeria to advanced countries like Japan, the United States, South Korea, and China, you can rightly conclude that our tech sector has a lot of catching up to do. But a look at the West African country’s tech sector over the recent years will reveal a significant amount of growth and a positive view of us getting on the global map soon.”
He concluded that Nigeria needs to do more in tech research and advocated that the federal government and other stakeholders need to make available adequate funding for research if the present administration was ready for technology development.
Adebayo noted that there has been so much attention on financial technology companies (fintechs).
According to him, it’s unfortunate that when anyone in Nigeria thinks of tech, they only think of fintech which has taken over 50 per cent of the Nigeria industry and urged the federal government to shift focus to maximise the potential of the technology across all sectors. He also stressed the need to infuse technology in primary and secondary education curriculum. “Aside from fintech, Nigeria can also explore the agricultural sector, and with this, we can improve our exports and reduce imports. This move can also increase our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and also strengthen the naira against other currencies.
“Nigeria can also explore more on the services sector such as telecommunications to improve Internet connectivity in the country.
“Nigeria also needs to explore more on the education sector by investing in the grassroots (the primary and secondary) by providing necessary equipment and tools in schools to equip young Nigeria adequately for the Future,” he said.
In his contribution, Ethical Hacker and Chief Executive Officer of PawaPlus, Mr. Ahmed Apatira, who majors in energy technology, noted that despite innovations and programs by the current administration, the chances of technology development in Nigeria in the next five years was not guaranteed. Among other issues, Apatira emphasised very low adoption as millions of Nigerians still live below the poverty line and accessibility.
“In the next five years, we are not there yet, but we will still be on track. From a Nigerian perspective, five years is short. Our adoption in Nigeria is still very low because we have more people living below the poverty line, and more people living in rural areas and accessibility is a challenge which is why developers try as much as possible to build simple apps for rural consumers trying to bring them on board but I don’t see us getting there in the next five years.
“Electric vehicles are getting popular all over the world and even when you see one in an urban area it surprises the residents. The next five years are not feasible but there will be development. We need to do more in terms of technological adoption. In the next five years, we will be on the path.
Setting agenda for 2024
Applauding the federal government’s efforts to make Nigeria a tech hub for African countries by partnering with top global tech brands, Adebayo urged the federal government to look inward to solve basic challenges to aid smooth tech operations.
“As earlier pointed out, there is no way technology can thrive in Nigeria without electricity. If 24-hour electricity is impossible, which I feel is possible in a giant country like Nigeria, at least we should have 20 to 22 hours.
“Not only will the tech industry thrive but other tech-aided sectors. Also, the government and other stakeholders should consider putting infrastructure in place for smooth tech operations. Without infrastructure there is no tech,” he said. In his view, Apaira called for more investments as well as deliberate plans to change the narrative for the Nigerian technology ecosystem.
“The government needs to do more. About five years ago, something happened that only a few people who are in the system understood. “For the first time in history, data has become more valuable than oil. The most valuable commodity now is no more oil but data. “How much you can utilise data gives an understanding of how the world works. Today advanced countries are investing so much in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data gathering.
“Our government is not doing more and needs to do more. They need a rethink and be deliberate in developing our technology ecosystem. In the past, we mocked India but today they are doing better technologically.
“They respect Nigerians because they know we are technologically sound, but they are deliberate about development that earned what we are all seeing today.
“Technology is what changes the world. Former United States President, Donald Trump, won his election using technology. Through technology, they can read voters’ behaviour and develop effective targeted campaigns.
“There is what we call data mining which is also used to analyse people’s psyche from their social media and personal information online. They were able to factor it in and use it for a campaign. There are a lot of testimonials to explain that technology is changing the world. The more we jump on it, the better for us,” he urged.
He advised that Nigerians should start taking up courses in technology, stressing that the world now revolves around technology innovations and strategy.
“The truth is not everybody needs to be writing codes. There are a lot of courses in tech that can be explored aside from writing codes which is popular. Anyone who doesn’t have experience in tech can go for a scrum master’s in project management. You can manage tech projects and do well,” he advised.
