Bayelsa urges NCCT to develop local content on ICT

Bayelsa State Government yesterday urged the National Council of Communication Technology (NCCT) to develop Information Communication Technology (ICT) local content to strengthening ICT infrastructure in the country.

Governor Seriake Dickson stated this in Yenagoa, while declaring open the 3rd regular meeting of the NCCT in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology and the state government with the theme, “Mainstreaming ICT in National Development: Moving from Talk to Action.”

Represented by the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha Jonah (retd), Governor Dickson attributed the under-development of local industries to the over-dependence on the importation of software and hardware, which he said had inhibited the growth of domestic economic opportunities as well as capacity building.

He urged members of the council to deliberate on broadband download performance, development of ICT in governance to promote accountability and efficiency as well as networking with major ICT companies.

While expressing optimism that the highlights in the agreement between the Bayelsa State and Federal Ministry of Communication Technology would be addressed in view of the economic benefits to both parties, the governor appealed to the council to discourage free access to what he referred to as, unholy websites by youths, saying it would affect their moral standards.

In her remarks, the Minister for Communication Technology, Dr. Omobola Johnson, said each state should hold ICT workshops, with the objective of creating awareness about the opportunities for youths.

Johnson, who said with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, the mnistry would commence an ICT programme in all the 36 states, noted that about 500 to 1,000 youths would be trained in each state, adding that on completion of the training, the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology would in collaboration with state governments establish a monitoring framework to assess revenue generated and jobs created from the programme.

Also speaking, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Science and Technology and Manpower Development, Deacon Ndutimi Komonibo, expressed the hope that Bayelsa would become a global ICT hub, when the MoU it signed with the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology and Broadband Council was concretized to make the state one of the smart states initiative.

SOURCE; http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=81944