Background Information

GDP per capital: $310 (African Development Report, 2001)
(African Development Bank)

GDP distribution by sector:
Agriculture - N50.08b
Industry - N20.13b
Services - N33.87b
Building and Construction - N2.55b
Wholesale and Retail Trade - N13.96b
Non-Oil - N108.02b

(Source: CBN Annual Report 2000)

Contribution of private investment to GDP ?

Population: 120m

Population distribution by age:

0-14 years: 44% (male 27,81,020; female 26,873,317)
15-64 years: 53% (male 33,495,794; female 32,337,193)
65 years and over: 3% (male 1,729,149; female 1,722,349)

(Source: http/www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ni.html)

Literacy rate:
Total literates of the population: 57.1%
i. Male: 68.5%
ii. Female: 50.8% (1997 est.)

(Source: Human Development Report 1999)

Secondary School enrollment by gender: Total - 5,274,285 (1999)
i. Male Not available
ii. Female Not available

Higher Education Enrollment (1999)
i. University 319,914
Male 212,544 Female 107,370

ii. Polytechnic 219,770

iii. Colleges of Education 105,416
Number of classrooms/1000 inhabitants - Not Available

2. CURRENT SITUATION ON INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

Number of TV sets/1000 inhabitants: 66/1000

Telephone (fixed): (Nitel: 700,000 with 400,000 in use PTOs are 7 with 90,000 lines)

Cellular: (M-tel/Nitel: 210,000 with 26,500 in use)

Data Network: Not Available

Internet Service Providers: 38

Cable/Satellite TV Networks: 6

3. NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR ICT FOR DEVELOPMENT

1. Yes (Nigerian Communications Commission NCC)

2. The only Independent Regulator of the telecommunications industry. Empowered to issue licenses, assign frequencies and regulate all telecommunications licenses and provide other ancillary services. It designs and maintains a national numbering plan, and perform such other regulatory functions as may be consistent with its mandate to promote the development of Nigerian communications.

3. Yes

4. To ensure IT resources are readily available to promote efficient national development.

• To use IT for job creation, wealth creation, poverty eradication and global competitiveness.
• To empower Nigerians to participate in software and IT development.
• To encourage local production and manufacture of IT equipment.
• To integrate IT into the mainstream of education and training
• To create IT awareness and ensure universal access in order to promote IT diffusion in all sectors of our national life.

5. NITDA - National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)

6. CONSTRAINTS

• Lack of IT infrastructure.
• Lack of E-workforce
• Low Teledensity, 0.4 per 100 people.
• Dearth of managerial skills
• Epileptic power supply

OPPORTUNITIES

• Online procurement and E-commerce in general
• Distance learning (education)
• Tourism and Travels
• E-governance
• Investment in IT infrastructure

4. PRIVATE SECTOR

• ATCON - The Association of Telecomunciations Companies of Nigeria
  COAN - Computer Association of Nigeria
  NIG - Nigerian Internet Group
• Assist and facilitate IT policy formulation, seminars, conferences and exhibitions as well as assistance in implementation.
• Financing through equity participation or outright financing. The private sector is also expected to go into alliance with NITDA in some of the implementation processes.
• Telecommunications
  Internet Service provision
  Power - electricity
  IT infrastructure in general.

5. PEOPLE/CONNECTIVITY

Companies/Business customers are the most important users of the Internet.

Percentage of Internet access by

• Public administration - below average.
• Companies/business customers - average
• Schools and universities - poor
• Association / Civil Society - below average
• Private households/individuals - poor.

6. OTHERS

1. Donors that support ICT

• UNESCO - Working on the virtual university project with NUC
• UNDP - Internet workshops at NITEL Schools
• Ford Foundation - Support on the information Technology Policy Workshops, year 2000.
• McArthur Foundation - Assistance to some universities on IT development.
• World Bank assistance to NUC on Nigerian Universities Network (NUNET)

2. Expectation from Nigerian participation.

• To learn from the successful Asian models, especially on implementation strategies.
• To share lessons and experiences with other countries, especially on legislative Acts and Bills of parliament on IT.
• To establish collaboration with countries especially successful Asian countries.

3. Results/lessons learnt/practices to be shared.

Nigeria, over the past 15 months went through the process of the formulation of a national IT policy. The policy has been approved by the Federal Executive Council. Nigeria is now in a position of drafting the necessary IT Bills and Acts for consideration of the National Assembly. We will like to make a presentation on our National IT policy and the implementation strategies.