The National Council on Communication Technology (NCCT) has been urged to ensure that through their policies and strategies, the appropriate use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) becomes a tool for national development.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, made the remark yesterday in Abuja at the inaugural meeting of the NCCT under the Ministry of Communication Technology.
Represented by Hajiya Jamila Tangaza, the minister said that there are a number of examples from around the world that demonstrate how ICT is used in supporting development.
“ICT and especially mobile technology is being used in rural phone networks, telemedicine, small business development, market trading and farming, humanitarian aid and community services. I am sure that the NCCT will embed their ICT policies across wider strategies and programmes in Nigeria and in all aspects of our national life,” he said.
Speaking, the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, said that taking cognizance of the fact that the implementation of government policies in the sector would impact directly on the three tiers of government, it became imperative to constitute the NCCT to ensure a holistic and all inclusive decision-making process in the ICT sector.
She said that the NCCT is expected to be an all-inclusive national advisory body to government on policies and strategies related to Information and Communication Technology.
“The council shall become the common platform for planning and coordinating all programmes and activities in information communication technology geared towards a robust private sector participation in ICT development both at federal, states and local government levels,” she said.
The minister said that prior to the creation of the ministry, there were disparate policies governing various segments of the Information Communication Technology sector, adding that it is very crucial to review all available policies with a view to harmonizing and streamlining them and producing a single policy for the ICT sector.
“Few weeks after my assumption of duty as Minister of Communication Technology, I set up a committee to identify and harmonize all these policy documents culminating into what we call today the “Zero Draft” which has been in the public domain since January this year,” the minister said.