The President Sir,
In my official and voluntary capacity as the UN World Summit Awards National Expert for Nigeria, and a member of the WSA-UN CONSULTATIVE Network, I owe it a duty to present on behalf of the teaming young innovators of the Innovationbed Africa ecosystem, as I write to you to say that your office is now viral, and that true Nigeria citizens of all works of life and who are world-class Innovators are here to help in nation building at every step of the way!
The #WorldSummitAwards is a global platform that recognizes and promotes purpose-driven digital solutions addressing the local challenges.
Through a series of international events and a diverse network of stakeholders including #startups, social #entrepreneurs, mentors, experts, and government leaders, #Innovationbed-WSA showcases cutting-edge examples of how #technology can create positive #socialimpact.
WSA is currently bringing together winners and experts from over 180 countries in Puebla, Mexico City, as they host this year’s edition of the winners’ congress. We seize this opportunity of this Mexico event, from a private citizenry innovation productivity track record, and pedigree that Nigeria ‘no dey carry last’, to decorate firstly your inauguration and secondly, as a mark for your early tasks on Presidential assignments.
If you can develop and adopt the same responsible innovation traditions in all you do for national development, the rest will be history, as citizens will have regained that sense of belonging and trust of an improved Nigerian economic ecosystem.
As you are being inaugurated in Abuja, the stage is getting set in the beautiful city of Puebla in Mexico as helpless young Nigerian Innovators has struggled to join the rest of the world 🌎 to receive their ‘Nigeria’s’ meritorious badges of honor (the prestigious WSA Awards) on the global stage, having secured 3 major global awards in the last World Summit Awards 2022 edition – The awards for Nigeria are in Open Government and Citizens Engagement category by Zamfara state indigene Fauzudeen Mahmoud’s Zamtraka Transparency product, Empowerment and Inclusion category by Edo state indigene Oare Ehiemua-Ochui’s Laborhack, and under the Young Innovators category, won by Lagos state indigene, Oluwadamilola Soyombo, founder for Skooqs.
Our proposed advisory on tech adoption and which must be fast to instill an early digital trust cleansing are as enumerated below:
The President and the Vice,
1. The lack of adequate infrastructure: There is a lack of adequate infrastructure, especially in rural areas. This includes electricity, internet connectivity, and a developed transport system that can sustain the supply chain of technology in Nigeria.
2. Inadequate funding: Funding is a major challenge for technology entrepreneurs in Nigeria, as there is limited financing for startup companies, and the high cost of capital limits access to financing from traditional sources. Startups have had to engage even unpleasant funding which have the gross benefits at external and foreign growths.
3. Inadequate skills: Lack of adequate technical skills still limits the ability of entrepreneurs to develop sophisticated technology solutions. There is a massive deficiency in critical skills such as coding, big data analysis, and AI development, stunting the growth of the technology industry in Nigeria. Our #InnovationbedAfrica Multi-disciplinary Open-AI and Data Science Career transformation project is directed to close this widening digital gaps.
The President and the Vice,
4. Government bureaucracy: Excessive regulation, corruption, and government bureaucracy frequently stifle entrepreneurs’ efforts in securing needed permits, licenses, and approvals, which makes starting or scaling a tech enterprise in Nigeria time-consuming and expensive.
5. User skepticism: There is a significant amount of skepticism among Nigerian consumers regarding the reliability and efficacy of technological solutions, which can hinder their adoption and acceptance.
The President and the Vice,
6. Poor education: The lack of quality education, especially in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), leads to fewer individuals interested in technology and fewer qualified candidates for tech jobs, creating a gap in the Nigerian technology workforce.
The President and the Vice,
7. Cybersecurity concerns are heightening and for us as Nigerians ‘never say die’, we should be making a positive difference here, once we can lead by example to ensure our value systems best response to corrective digital rights of the Nigerian citizens: Cybersecurity is essential for any technological platform, and Nigeria has not had an excellent track record in this regard. Over the years, online and cybercrime as well as hacking have been rampant; this has influenced user trust within the Nigerian Technology ecosystem.
The President and the Vice,
8. Insecurity cum kidnapping:
Re-coding this society’s cancer and permitting more patriotic data scientists in our system to work with the security organizations can yield your regime a permanent rest from this protracted evil trade.
The President and the Vice,
9. In your formal capacity as President endeavor to open your minds to modern developments for which you are well traveled and have consumed and patronized tech benefits from within and foreign tech services as a long-term leader in Nigeria’s most economically viable state.
Addressing these impediments will require collaboration amongst regulators, the private sector, and educational institutions. This collaboration can facilitate the bridging of the technology divide and create an enabling environment for technological innovation to grow.
Lastly, the President and the Vice,
10. Ensure Innovators and entrepreneurs have demands for their supply unequivocally on merit.
Many ventures who are productive and healthy in accordance with a growing economy will happily contribute bountifully to the nation’s tax pool which can be fully automated to lubricate governments functioning.
I thank you for this rare privilege to lend my VOICE and those of my ecosystem players of 15 years in passionate volunteerism, which has also been shared with the Global Digital Compact of the UN Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology as we may have hosted the first public webinar on national tech adoption impact post #NigeriaDecides2023.
According to #OCCAM, #ICT4SIDS, Nations must make positive progress leveraging on modern tools of national developments with key drivers to local content and sane sustainable tech policy implementations. We need true commitment, constructive dialogue that translates what we do into in trusted thought process depicting we WALK the TALK and not witness the level of technology distrust recently exhibited during the #NigeriaDecides2023 general elections!
Nigeria is yet to activate adoption of the #ICT4SIDS programme on #SPACE4Nigeria – Computer-Aided Strategic Planning initiative for which we got scholarships to train numerous young innovators of diverse backgrounds across the 6 geopolitical zones states and the capacity to excel and accerate on the regional developments especial the rural areas are available and internal in #Innovationbed ecosystem.
Bearing in mind every nation faces its own challenges, especially Africans, with new technologies such as IOT, blockchain, 5G, 3D, and AIML, it is possible to expand the web capacity, and optimize it to be freer and safer, decentralized, and open to all.
With this little piece of mine, I wish you all and the Nigerian citizens well.
Post the WSA Winners Congress in Mexico within the week, we are open to virtual programmes in consolidation of the above, hoping we have an audience.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Long live #InnovationbedAfrica
Long live WSANigeria
Amos Emmanuel mNCS, FIIM, CDOA, is a multi-awarded Software Entrepreneur and author of CloudIntegra and CiMobile Bond and Equity Investment Back-office and Real-time Trading Apps – Africa’s pioneer Capital Market Software solutions of more than twenty-five years reign in Nigeria and Ghana Exchanges. He is the Chief Software Architect/Chief Executive Officer of Programos Software Limited.
