Wednesday, March 25, 2009              

World Bank, NITDA, others host global IT services alliance
By Sonny Aragba-Akpore

NIGERIA'S quest to join the global e-readiness initiative recently got a boost with the world Bank, Nigeria IT Development Agency (NITDA), Zenith Bank among others coming together to host the first World IT and Services Alliance (WITSA) forum in Abuja, Nigeria.

WITSA Chairman, Mr. Dato Dan E Khoo will be hosted too, at the conference due to hold at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, April 21-23.

With the thematic preoccupation, "Advancing the Dynamics of ICT Policy Engineering for e-government," ADIPENG 2009, Nigeria, in the words of IT technocrat and acclaimed oracle of the industry, Mr. Chris Uwaje will enable Nigeria make a fundamental statement as a major participant and key contributor to the emerging society.

The significance of this, according to Uwaje, who is also CEO, Connect Technologies "is better understood within the context of Nigeria's ICT achievement and global e-readiness status."

Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, Science and Technology Minister, Dr. Hassan Bako Zaku, his Information and Communications counterpart, Prof. Dora Akunyili, are expected to grace the occasion.

Recent world development activity indicators have clearly demonstrated that the central battle ground for global competitiveness will be in the ICT Policy and Strategy Domain. The critical mass of such strategic development policies and implementation will be focused on e-Government, e-Commerce, e-Business, e-Education and Cybersecurity amongst others. These and other 21st Century critical development issues present a great challenge and opportunity windows for the Africa continent, where Nigeria represents a very important factor,

ADIPENG 2009 is a world class and prestigious pre-conference/workshop organised by World Information Technology Strategic Alliance (WITSA) and Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN). This is the first time that this special pre-conference/workshop is being held in Nigeria.

The objectives of the international workshop on e-Government include but not limited to:

• The workshop seeks to evaluate the IT performance index of national government, engage policy makers and principal sector drivers on their implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

• Identify the relationships of the global financial meltdown to the e-readiness compliance status of governments and impact on developing countries economies.

• Mapping inadequacy of IT infrastructure and technology skill-sets to poverty cycle.

• Explore the critical issues of digital crime, and their impact on cyber security.

• Explore the potentials and critical issues of e-Commerce, e-Business, e-Payment to national development.

• Identify opportunities offshoring/outsourcing opportunities for West Africa.

• Present case studies of ICT success stories in Nigeria.

• The international workshop will also act as strategic platform for creating awareness on Rural Digital Divide (RDD).

• The need for e-Laws and regulations as efficient tools for cyberspace development.

• Understanding the networks and Internet as the centre of gravity of the new knowledge economy and information society.

• To provide a cross platform experience and knowledge-sharing on digitally connected knowledge economy and imperatives for organised information society.

  The conference will address sub themes including:

• Engaging the challenges and maximizing the opportunities of ICT in developing countries.

• Upgrading and adapting national and state IT policy framework to new technologies.

• ICT infrastructure development roadmap for state governments and rural development.

• Sustainable models for building e-learning capacities in developing countries.

• Implementing e-Government projects: Database and local content Issues.

• Strategies for effective telemedicine policy in developing countries.

• Application of telemedicine as dynamic tool for leveraging health care in rural areas.

• Establishing state e-Government academy - as Centre of Excellence: Pilot Project Models.

• ICT security issues: Challenges, impact and solutions for cyber-crime & cyber-security.

• New and emerging technologies - Impact on Africa's development.

  ITAN is the association of over 250 Information Technology driven companies in Nigeria. It was founded in 1991 to promote IT literacy and penetration in Nigeria. It was also formed to promote members' interest in the area of trade, policy formulation and negotiations with government on IT policy matters.

  ITAN in 2002 joined other stakeholders to form the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), in which it remains a major stakeholder. ITAN was on 1st December 2008 admitted into the Vienna, U.S.-based World Information Technology and Services Alliance to represent the Nigerian IT and services industry.

  WITSA is a consortium of about 70 information technology industry associations from economies around the world. WITSA members represent over 90 per cent of the world IT market and it is the leading voice of the global Information Technology and services industry. The ITAN/WITSA Government Advisory Group (ITAN/WITSA/GAG) is a group comprising of state IT advisers and commissioners of science & technology and ITAN/WITSA leaders in Nigeria and around the world. The group will facilitate accelerated awareness and exposure to trends in e-Government and strategies for the creation of wealth and jobs with IT in tandem with best practices across the world even in the face of the current world wide financial crisis.

  WITSA Trade Mission to Nigeria: Focus on ICT project investment, financing, solutions and deliverables in the infrastructure, e-Government, education, e-Commerce, e-Health and cyber security sectors. Others include: hospitality, banking and finance, oil & gas.

  Key addresses will touch:

• Technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, and new technology.

• E-Government imperatives for developing nations - The role of Africa.

• World Bank analysis of offshoring potentials for Nigeria.

• E-Payment applications - as strategic tools for accelerated economic development.

• Skilled capacities as critical mass of IT development - wake-up call.

• National Information infrastructure as key to future survivability of nations.

  Plenary Panels on Information Technology Infrastructure, Bandwidth and Connectivity Management.

  Special Plenary Panel by World Bank, Zenith Bank and D-Link International of Singapore on:

  "Strategies for developing ICT potentials and policies on New and Innovative Technologies" (World Bank)

  Government Policies on E-payment - a strategic imperative for accelerated economic development (Jim Ovia - MD/CEO - Zenith Bank)

  "Imperatives of IP Surveillance Security Camera Monitoring Systems and Solutions for e-Government" (D-Link)

  Networking Chats with ' Use Technology to light-up a Billion Lives' theme in Health, Education, Alternate Energy, Investing in Nigeria, and Critical Information Infrastructure Security

  Breakaway sessions include: E-Payment, e-Government, Cyber Security, Cyber Crime and IP Security Solutions, Cloud Computing, Space Technologies, Web 2.0 / Web 3.0 Mash up, Technology Investment and Financing.

  Lab Sessions: Industry Showcases and presentation of latest technologies ready to go from innovation tables to storm the market.

  Special Announcements: WITSA unveil the roadmap to emerging technologies projected to make dramatic impact in Africa and the rest of the world.

  Banquet dinner will bring together Africa's (Nigeria IT who-is-who) influential Captains of Industry and key ICT Business leaders & Innovators together in a spectacular brain-mesh environment.

  They even promise to be the most significant IT gathering in Africa this century.

  A high-powered speaker line-up includes:

• Dato Dan Khoo, WITSA Chairman & Vice President Malaysian Multi-Media Development Corporation.

• Dr. James Poisant, WITSA Secretary General

• Professor. C. O Angaye, Director General - NITDA.

• Ernest Ndukwe - Executive Vice Chairman - NCC

• Professor Nike Osofisan - President CPN.

• Professor Charles Uwadia - President, Nigeria Computer Society

• Professor Egondu, Washington, USA

• Dr. Abimbola Salako - Provost, College of Fellows (Nigeria Computer Society- NCS

• Mr. Ismail Radwan - Senior economic Officer - World Bank Nigeria Office

• Dr. Leo Stan Ekeh - Chairman Zinox Technologies.

• Dr. Sola Afolabi, Director, Community Computer Centre, ECOWAS

• Mr. Waudo Siganga, WITSA Vice-President Africa & President Kenya Computer Society

• Dr. Bashir Galadanci: Commissioner for Science & Technology - Kano State.

• Mr. Chris. Uwaje, Regional Director - D-Link West Africa. (Past President ITAN)

• Professor Emmanuel Manny Aniebuman - President AfriHub Worldwide

• Dr. GMM Obi IT Security Consultant (Past President CPN)

• Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem, MD Teledom/President ATCON

• Mrs. Florence Seriki - Group Managing Director, Omatek Computers

• Mr. Titi Omo Etu - Chairman, Executive Cybershuul.

• Professor Oliver Osuagwu (Vice President CPN)

• Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu - Former General Manager, Microsoft Anglophone W/Africa

• Tony Udoh - MD/CEO Projenics Corporations

• Lanre Ajayi - President NIG & Chairman Pinet Informatics & Technology Solutions

• Professor O Akinyokun, and other resource persons.

  Keynote addresses will touch on:

• E-Business, E-Payment Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and New Technology

• E-Government imperatives for developing nations - The role of Africa

• World Bank analysis of offshoring potentials for Nigeria

• Skilled capacities as critical mass of IT development - wake-up call

  Plenary Panels on Information Technology Infrastructure, Bandwidth and Connectivity Management

  Special Plenary Panel by World Bank and D-Link International of Singapore on:

  "Strategies for developing IT potentials and policies on New and Innovative Technologies" (World Bank) and "Imperatives of IP Surveillance Security Camera Monitoring Systems and Solutions for e-Government" (D-Link)

  Networking chats with 'Use technology to light-up a billion lives' theme in health, education, alternate energy, investing in Nigeria, and critical information infrastructure security

  Breakaway sessions include: Cyber Security, Cyber Crime and IP Security Solutions, Cloud Computing, Space Technologies, Web 2.0 / Web 3.0 Mash up, Technology Investment and Financing.

  Lab Sessions: Industry showcases and presentation of latest technologies ready to go from innovation tables to storm the market.

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