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IN line with its commitment to turn Nigeria into a technology innovation heart in Africa, the Office for ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIIE), a particular purpose Nigeria news vehicle created under National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) Act, has commenced a strategic interactive program among federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and ICT startups.

The OIIE was set up cultivate to nurture and enlarge entrepreneurship and ICT innovation in Nigeria in line with NITDA Act 2007 as well as the National ICT policy.

«We have startups like Talentbase with HR solution, Prowork with cellular-based project management app, Slimtrader, an agro-allied based app, e-Pump alternative from Africania, Wecyclers, an incentive-based recycling firm, Wizitup with the educational option and many others throughout the country».

Particularly, he explained that the aim of the Government Startup Interactive Software (GSIP) would be to create networks and dialogue involving the Heads of ICT in MDAs and IT startups towards enhancing efficiency in government service delivery through progressive and fashionable technologies, along with creating market chances for startups.

Secretary, Council of ICT Heads in MDAs, Mrs. Moni Udoh offered that the council would collaborate with IT startups moonobluaittfs.soup.io in the supply of needed support that would enable them deploy IT programs to address public sector challenges. She divulged that though the Council was inaugurated on April 4, 2013, as an advisory body with no ability to make determinations, it could support ICT transformational changes inside the MDAs.

She opined that the objective is «to promote cooperation among ICT leaders in the MDAs and form experience, knowledge and information sharing sessions to advertise identification of top practices and organizational improvement, act as representatives for the diffusion and adoption of leading IT practices across MDAs, boost professionalism among IT cadre while grooming future leaders in the IT business».

While presenting his paper, senior supervisor, Technological Growth Platform at Accenture Nigeria, a leading international professional service company, Babatunde Adebola divulged that Nigeria has came the sixth highest spender in the world on ICT in 2015, with USA, UK and Germany as the three top ICT spenders from 2013 to 2015.

«Outcome of the comparative evaluation between USA and UK and developing countries like Nigeria, suggested that western countries spend more on IT services, data centre system and internal services while developing countries spend more on apparatus and telecommunications,» he said.

In his own contribution, CEO and Managing Director, Galaxy Backbone, Arch. Yusuf Kazaure highlighted the need for capacity building among entrepreneurs work and the MDAs in a fashion that is sustainable, inclusive and contributory to the progress of the nation as a whole.

In his opening comments in a two-day event in Abuja, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Muhammadu Buhari Arch Sonny Echono, said information communication technology (ICT) is a key tool in the change program of the current administration. He stressed that President Buhari's management would ICT to handle youth employment, wealth creation, economic growth, efficiency and transparency.

According to him, the target of the retreat was for the OIIE to start an active engagement between the ICT startups and government. «It's expected that through these initiatives and programmes, there will probably be a growth in the contributions from ICT to the national GDP, that may include more jobs and wealth creation».

OIIE, national Coordinator, Bunmi Okunowo, stressed that authorities the world over is a massive marketplace for ICT entrepreneurs as there are challenges in government processes and service delivery requiring solution. He further stressed, «As it's frequently said, charity begins at home. There is a have to infuse new ICT inventions into government to improve efficiency in its service delivery to its stakeholders, in addition to increase transparency and responsibility».

There's an increasing number of entrepreneurs and ICT startups with authorities-facing technologies, Okunowo clarified, that can solve special challenges in authorities and have evolved over time.

The highlight of the escape was the demo session by the ICT startups. Their option was shown by five startups to more than 50 heads of the council. Several of the alternatives include Talentbase, Wizitup, Prowork, Medismart and Mobi Agric.