The Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) on Tuesday called for the engagement of more Information Technology (IT) professionals in national development.
The President, of NCS, Dr Muhammad Sirajo, made the call in an interview in Lagos state.
Sirajo said that assessing the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, a lot of improvement had been recorded but more needed to be done, especially as regards the engagement of professionals.
The president said that though quite a lot of effort had been made by different stakeholders to improve the sector, but generally, the sector was still not where it should be.
According to Sirajo, in terms of infrastructure, especially in the area of broadband penetration, the Federal Government is working tirelessly to get the home country covered but some areas are still unserved.
According to him, efforts are being put in place to make sure that the nation gets to where it should be technologically.
”More still needs to be done in terms of infrastructure, in terms of the current technologies that are coming up.
”As I said, quite a lot of efforts have been made by the government in terms of coming up with a National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, and there has been quite a lot of stakeholder engagement in that sector.
”All the efforts have been made not for anything but for us to make sure that we get where we are supposed to be,” he said.
Sirajo said that, however, for the federal government to achieve more in the ICT industry, it needed to engage more with relevant stakeholders in the sector.
He urged the government to carry along relevant stakeholders within the sector, such as the NCS.
“One of the major problems in the industry is lack of engagement of IT professionals.
”My candid advice to the federal government in this respect is that, to achieve whatever it wants to achieve, it will always be very good to engage the relevant stakeholders in the sector,” he said.
The NCS president said that it was highly beneficial to carry along relevant stakeholders and professionals in making changes and advancement in any sector.
He said professional engagement was also important to achieve industry-relevant and industry-specific results.
He said that the NCS as a body or as an umbrella for IT professionals in the country had been at the forefront, ensuring that it contributed its quota to national development.
According to him, NCS has a structure in which the federal government or any other body, group or individual can leverage.
Sirajo said that the NCS members were always ready to contribute their quota to national development, adding that its doors are open for any kind of partnership and collaboration.
The president emphasised the need for the government to reach out to the NCS so as to benefit from its wealth of expertise.
NAN
