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ICT AND YOUTH EMPOWERMENT IN NIGERIA ICT AND YOUTH EMPOWERMENT IN NIGERIA
AT THE e-NIGERIA 2010 SUMMIT, ORGANIZED BY AT THE e-NIGERIA 2010 SUMMIT, ORGANIZED BY NATIONAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (NITDA)DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (NITDA)
MAY 18 - 20, 2010MAY 18 - 20, 2010
SHEHU MUSA YAR’ ADUA CENTRE, ABUJASHEHU MUSA YAR’ ADUA CENTRE, ABUJA
BYBYJIM OVIA JIM OVIA
CHAIRMANCHAIRMANNATIONAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY COUNCILNATIONAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY COUNCIL
Outline
2
Identifying the Youth
Nigeria’s ICT Penetration Statistics
Why Empower Youths?
ICT Opportunities for Youths
Youths & ICT Challenges
Youth Empowerment: Sharing Roles
Next Steps
3
Identifying the Youths
The youths (Aged 15 to 24 yrs) represent the face and future of any nation.
Of the 6.8 billion world population (2009 est.), youths make up 18 % or 1.2 billion (UN)
At about 30%, Nigeria’s youth population is nuch higher than the global average.
With about 45 million youths, Nigeria has the 8th largest youth population in the world.
4
““In today’s globalizing world, ‘being young’ is radically In today’s globalizing world, ‘being young’ is radically different from what it was one or two generations different from what it was one or two generations ago…”. UNESCOago…”. UNESCO
Yesterday’sYesterday’s Today’sToday’s
Leisure = TV+ radio+ age group games+ nature+ oral literature, etc
Leisure = www+ iPod+ computer games +multimedia transmissions, etc
Education = writing boards +Pen + paper+ conventional libraries, etc
Education = high speed PCs + PDAs + internet + cell phones + messengers + digital libraries, etc
Career = conventional job seeking + long distance meetings + papers & files, etc
Career = online job seeking + paperless offices + teleconferencing, etc
YOUTHSYOUTHS
Youths & ICT: Yesterday & TodayYouths & ICT: Yesterday & Today
5
Computers
- PC first used in Nigeria in 1963 for analysis of the 1962/63 national census data (Source: UN University, Tokyo)
- 47 years later, PC penetration still relatively low at about 10 million nodes or 7 per 100 inhabitants
Internet - From 200,000 as at year
2000, Nigeria now has largest online population in Africa with 24 million users
- But penetration remains relatively low at 16.1%
- However, rapid progress is being made in internet usage
Internet Penetration:Internet Penetration: Top 10 in Sub Top 10 in Sub Sahara Africa (2009)Sahara Africa (2009)
CountryNumber of users
Internet Penetration
Mauritius 340 000 26.7%
Nigeria 23.9 million 16.1%
Zimbabwe 1.5 million 13%
Zambia 1.3 million 11.9%
South Africa 5.3 million 10.8 %
Botswana 100 000 5.1%
Namibia 101 000 4.8%
Angola 498 000 4.0%
Swaziland 42 000 3.7%
Lesotho 70 000 3.3%
Nigeria’s ICT Penetration Statistics
TELECOMS SUBSCRIBER INFORMATION 2001-2009
866,782 2,271,0504,021,945
10,201,728
19,519,154
33,858,022
41,975,275
64,296,117
74,518,264
-
10,000,000
20,000,000
30,000,000
40,000,000
50,000,000
60,000,000
70,000,000
80,000,000
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Year
millio
n
Source: NCC; * as at February 2010
Telephony:
Nigeria has done better here than in any other ICT area
Rated as one of the world’s fastest growing telecoms market
Largest telecoms sector in Africa
See graphs for more details
Nigeria’s ICT Penetration Statistics (contd.)
6
Private Investment in Telecoms (2001-2009)
1.22.1
4
6
7.58.15
1112
18
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Dec-01 Dec-02 Dec-03 Dec-04 Dec-05 Dec-06 Dec-07 Dec-08 Dec-09
US$
(Bill
ions
)
Source: NCC
Nigeria’s ICT Penetration Statistics (contd.)
7
Factors driving ICT growth:
Nigeria ranks among the top 10 fastest growing telecoms markets in the world. This is made possible by:
Huge population size
Sector Liberalization
Years of yearnings for telecoms services
Competitiveness and profitability of the sector
Growing awareness about ICT indispensability
At this rate of growth, Nigeria, already the biggest telecoms market in Africa (overtook South Africa in 2008), could rank among the world’s top ten telecoms market in the near future
Nigeria’s ICT Penetration Statistics (contd.)
8
10
Why Empower Youths?Why Empower Youths?
Some of the richest people in the world made their wealth as youths through ICT e.g. Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Carlos Helu (Mexican telecoms magnate) , Larry Page and Sergey Brin (Google), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), etc.
Youths of today need empowerment through ICT because:The future belongs to themTheir knowledge base needs improvementThey get exposed to borderless employment
opportunities Doing so increases the nation’s global
competitivenessEmpowered youths create wealth for self and
nation
“As today’s young people are crucial for the shaping of our future, it is imperative they be provided with the tools which will enable them not only to cope but to develop to their full potential”…. UNESCO
ICT provides these needed tools in virtually all aspects of life:
Education: - free access to the best & biggest libraries in the world - vast, endless world of information at your fingertips - online academic programmes (diplomas; degrees,
certifications, etc)
Health: - access to health information - access to effective diagnosis - access to actual treatment
ICT Opportunities for Youths
11
Communication: - keeps you in touch with diverse opportunities - links you up with people of all races & breaks all distance and geographical boundaries
Job Creation/Employability: - expands your horizon & reach for employment - grants you ‘global citizenship’
Innovation/wealth creation: - endless opportunities to break new grounds & create wealth - youthful innovators & role models abound to keep the youth inspired - Bill Gates; Larry Page & Sergey Brin; Michael Dell, etc
ICT Opportunities for Youths (contd.)
12
Infrastructure:
Especially power, is a major challenge in ICT advancement
Government is making relentless efforts to improve the situation Cost/Affordability:
Owing to inadequate power, cost of ICT services remain relatively high
Nigeria still ranks low in global ICT affordability ranking
This is despite rapidly falling ARPU, as shown in this graph:
TRENDS IN AVERAGE REVENUE PER USER(ARPU) 2001-2009
48.21 47.56
41.55
29.94
17.8
13.6512.12 11.26
7.66
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Year
ARPU
(US$
)
Source: NCC
Youths & ICT Challenges
13
Accessibility: Despite rapid improvement in penetration rate, ICT yet to reach majority of Nigerians, especially in the countryside Telephony for example has reached only 50% of population Private sector collaborating with government to reach rural dwellers through rural telephony initiatives Intellectual Property Rights:
ICT users take advantage of today’s digital liberty to violate intellectual property/patent rights Rights protection framework to be made more effective to encourage ICT creativity and innovation Laws to be enacted & enforced to protect inventors & innovators
Youths & ICT Challenges (contd.)
14
Cyber crime: Pornographies, plagiarism, 'cut & paste syndrome’ , card fraud, identity theft, etc
• Face of a cyber criminal:
28-year-old American arrested in Aug 2009, believed to be one of the nation's cybercrime kingpins Indicted along with two Russian accomplices on charges of carrying out the largest hacking and identity-theft activity in U.S. history. Companies, banks and insurers lost close to $200 million to his activities The three masterminded a global scheme to steal data from more than 130 million credit and debit cards by hacking into PCs of major companies Launched what he called "operation get rich or die trying,” targeting Fortune 500 companies Sentencing memos say he threw himself a $75,000 birthday party and at one point complained he had to count more than $340,000 by hand ‘cause his money counter broke down to 20 years jail term in March 2010
Albert GonzalezAlbert Gonzalez
Source: Wall Street Journal; Aug 18, 2009
Youths & ICT Challenges (contd.)
16
Youths & ICT Challenges (contd.)
Educational System: Inadequate capacity in schools to apply
ICT to teaching Brain-drain through which the best ICT
experts migrate to developed societies Lack of/or poor ICT orientation and
culture in most secondary and tertiary educational institutions
Unavailability/inadequacy of ICT tools in most schools, especially in rural areas of the country
17
Government: Provision of an enabling environment is critical
ICT Infrastructure development, especially power
Provision of appropriate incentives including tax benefits to investors & entrepreneurs
Adoption of education curricular and syllabi that integrate ICT-enabled training in all schools
Stipulate minimum ICT knowledge for graduation from all educational institutions
Youth Empowerment: Sharing Roles
18
Government: Make Laws to check cybercrimes/abuse, enforce intellectual property rights, etc Create technological villages and incubation centres. Sponsor research and development; provide grants and aids etc. Eliminate or reduce tariffs on imported ICT products Support Communal ICT centres in the rural areas.
Youth Empowerment: Sharing Roles (contd.)
19
Private sector: Where conducive business environment exists,
private sector operators are encouraged to invest;
They get more competitive in global ICT pricing; thereby creating greater access to ICT
Form clusters of ICT related industry sites in several places
Provide funds, grants and scholarships to enterprising youth inventors, innovators and technopreneurs.
Improve on ICT penetration in the rural areas; not just concentrate on urban centres.
Youth Empowerment: Sharing Roles (contd.)
20
Parents:Parents:• Employ ‘catch them young’ techniquesEmploy ‘catch them young’ techniques• Empower children with ICT tools Empower children with ICT tools • Arouse their enthusiasm & curiosity to Arouse their enthusiasm & curiosity to explore and discoverexplore and discover
The Youths must possess:The Youths must possess: • Self discipline Self discipline • curiositycuriosity• focus focus • innovative spiritinnovative spirit
Youth Empowerment: Sharing Roles (contd.)Youth Empowerment: Sharing Roles (contd.)
The future holds endless opportunities for Nigerian youths, because there is still a huge digital divide to be bridged
Youths are encouraged to key into existing opportunities to empower themselves and close every gap
All hands must be on deck to ensure the enabling environment, resource availability and right focus.
For the youths, creativity, innovativeness & inventiveness must remain the driving force to the desired empowerment
Next Steps
22