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

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Identifying the Youth

Nigeria’s ICT Penetration Statistics

Why Empower Youths?

ICT Opportunities for Youths

Youths & ICT Challenges

Youth Empowerment: Sharing Roles

Next Steps

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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.

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““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

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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.)

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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.)

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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.)

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The Digital World of Possibilities!The Digital World of Possibilities!

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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

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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.)

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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

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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.)

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With ICT empowerment, our youths can cross all future hurdles!

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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.)

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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

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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

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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.)

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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.)

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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

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THANK YOU

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