Rather than waiting for technology transfer from China or United States of America, Nigeria must learn to grow its own technology through local content development.
This was the opinion of the experts at the 2023 Nigeria eGovernment Summit, organised by DigiServe Network Services in Lagos.
The ose who spoke on the issue stressed the need for local content development that would support technology transfer through knowledge sharing.
Speaking on technology transfer, the Deputy Managing Director, Huawei Technologies Nigeria Ltd, Mr. Olanrewaju Odekunle, said Huawei had in the past years, trained several Nigerian youths on new technologies, including its developmental project, where it trained Nigerian women on Information and Communications Technology (ICT). He said Huawei established massive training centres in Lagos and Abuja purposely for training Nigerians on ICT.
“In terms of technology transfer, we are also working with the federal government to execute its project that is designed to train one million Nigerians on digital skills. Some of the trainees will be sent to China for further training, while some will be employed by Huawei after the training,” Odekunle said.
However, Group Managing Director, Intertel Nigeria Ltd, Dr. Abdlrazaq Ayodeji Shittu, disagreed with the idea of technology transfer from foreign companies to Nigerian youths. He argued that Nigeria must learn to develop its own indigenous technology through local content development, rather than waiting for technology transfer from China or United States of America, insisting that no foreign company would freely release its technology to another country, in the name of technology transfer.
“A nation without a good educational system will not be able to copy foreign technology and adapt it to suit the purpose of its country. India invested hugely in its educational sector and was able to develop the nuclear capability of its citizens and today, India is a world power for nuclear bomb. So it will be extremely difficult for Huawei to transfer its technology to Nigeria because Huwaei will want to remain in business. Nigeria must therefore develop its own technology, through local content development, by first addressing the challenges in the school system, redesigning its educational curriculum and investing heavily in education,” Odekunle said.
Other participants who spoke at the eGovernment Summit, raised concern about local government administration in Nigeria, which they said, was completely cut off from eGovernment strategy and support.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr. Tunbosun Alake, who represented Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, said the need to develop the school system was necessary in order to boost indigenous technology, insisting that no country will want to give out its technology to other countries for free.
According to him, the Lagos State government has over the past three years, formed Research and Development (R&D) initiative in tertiary institutions across University of Lagos (UNILAG), Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State University of Science and Technology and Yaba College of Technology, and got its first patent in 2021 in the area of medical device.
“Through the R&D initiative, the students were able to develop the medical device, designed for Covid testing. At the advent of Covid-19 pandemic in 2019, Lagos State had about 200 ventilators nationwide, which was insufficient. So Lagos State assembled a group of medical doctors, medical informatics experts, software developers and some public health workers, to further develop the medical device, which was later patented. This is part of government’s effort to drive technology development through local content development,” Alake said.
He therefore stressed the need for local content development that would enhance technology development in Nigeria.
To achieve the right technology development, Alake said the infrastructure must be available and access to funding made available. He urged the private and public sectors to rise to the challenges and help in boosting local content development.
In his welcome address, the convener of the eGovernment Summit, Engr Lanre Ajayi emphasised on the theme for this year’s summit, titled ‘eGovernment: Pathway to a Prosperous Nation,’ which he said was in tandem with the current mood of the nation where Nigerians have high hopes that the new administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will leverage technology to enhance government service offerings to its citizens in order to better their lots in a prosperous nation that they hoped for.