The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Emerging Technologies, Research and ICT Innovations forum weekend concluded its programme in Owerri, with a call on the federal government to set aside a national information fund for the development of the local content.
The forum’s team was ‘Developing Nigeria’s Tech Eco-System, Imperative for Improving Local Content’.
Speaking with our correspondent, Tony Ojobo, a former director public affairs of NCC, said the seminar was very timely, especially for the South east geo-political zone because of the large number of unemployed youth, as it provided platform for innovations and credibility.
He urged the federal government to set aside national innovation fund to ensure success of research and ICT innovations in the country. He said from such fund, grants could be given at reduced rate to secure equipment.
“With it, it will be easy for hubs to focus on different areas like capacity building,” he said.
While commending the NCC and its technical team on the seminar where challenges and solutions were discovered, he advised the Nigerian youth to go into innovation hubs and emulate an America based Nigerian, Uche Echeruo, who recently sold his company to Apple for billions of dollars.
Also speaking, Hanson Johnson of Have, a start innovation hub said innovation hub would provide support for and ginger the youth to come up with solutions to ICT problems.
He also urged government to encourage anybody who develops solution that addresses a problem to avoid that person deciding to engage in negative acts with the knowledge of ICT as is found among Nigerian youth these days.
