Group Seeks Statistics On ICT Usage

The President, Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), Mr Bayo Banjo,
has urged the Federal Government to establish a statistics agency on ICT usage
in Nigeria.

The NIG president said
in Lagos that such agency would provide database on ICT usage to improve
governance and economic development in the country.

“ICT are undeniably gaining ground, even in some remote
corners in the country, but the exact figures and the impact of this increase
are difficult to quantify.

“Developing an internationally acceptable ICT statistics
database will boost the Nigerian economy unprecedentedly,” he said.

Banjo said ICT statistics were critical for identifying
areas where government could use ICT to improve and implement its development
strategies.

“Quality data can help government define strategies for more
advanced banking and financial services, e-government and e-business.

“It also helps government to monitor its own policies and
draw comparisons with other countries,” he said.

Banjo said that at the enterprise level, data on ICT usage
would help companies, especially small and medium scale enterprises in taking
business and investment decisions.

“Appropriate ICT strategies, for instance, can help
businesses increase their productivity and competitiveness and participate
fully in national and international supply chains,” he said.

Banjo said that it was important for the government to
support new initiatives to collect ICT data and increase their consistency and
comparability.

“Not only will this make the task of governance easier, but
it will also help economists, investors and government to monitor the digital
divide between developed and developing countries,” he said.

He suggested that the proposed agency should be free from
government’s influence to function properly.