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ICT Stakeholders in Nigeria
Canvass Local Content Policy in
Information/Communications
Technology Sector
May 2009 Vol. 13: Issue #3
Domestic stakeholders in Nigeria’s
Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) sector are canvassing
the need for the Federal Government to
encourage Local Content Initiative and
enhance broadband infrastructures in
the country. According to the group, the
Federal Government of Nigeria must
adopt the local content policy to drive
the economy. The ICT sector of the
economy is a key driver. Nigeria has in
the last 10 years made appreciable
impact in the field of
telecommunications with the licensing
of digital mobile licence in 2001 to
telecoms operators for the provision of
Global System for Mobile
Communications (GSM) and Unified
Access Service license (UASL) in 2006.
While the country boasts of over 62
million connect lines, not much progress
has been replicated in information
technology (IT), especially, hardware
and software. It is opined by the ICT
lobby in Nigeria that Nigeria's severe
shortage of IT skills and personnel
necessary for taking advantage of new
and emerging technologies in the
©Blackfriars LLP 2009. All rights reserved. This document is for general guidance only. Definitive advice
should be sought from counsel if required. Blackfriars LLP is a Nigerian law firm with a representative
office in Toronto, Canada.
information society cannot be remedied
unless the government adopts a local
content policy. There is a severe
shortage of IT personnel in Nigeria that
a number of the multinational
companies look abroad to recruit their
nationals as expatriates. While there has
been astronomical growth within mobile
telephony and increasing computer
penetration, software development and
critical broadband connectivity in
Nigeria are very low.
Nigeria does not have the requisite
broadband infrastructure that can
deliver efficient high-speed internet
access that is necessary for ICT
competitiveness in the global
marketplace. Broadband infrastructure
are necessary for affordable internet
connectivity, business process
outsourcing, software development, and
IT skills development.
The problem is exacerbated by Nigeria’s
educational system which is not suited
to produce the required ICT manpower.
Indeed, evidence shows that while there
are some efforts to train personnel, little
progress is being made in ICT
applications such as tele-medicine, tele-
agriculture, e-education, e-payments, e-
banking, e-government, e-commerce
and other tele- and e-systems. In fact,
there is little effort to make Nigeria an
outsourcing destination like India
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While emerging technologies such as Ms. Clara Ndive

VSAT, Wi-Fi, WiMax, Long Term Tel: +234 802 220 4755
Evolution (LTE) and Next Generation Email: clara@blackfriars-law.com
Networks (NGN) have tried to bridge Fax: +1 646 536 8978
the technology gap, these technologies
still need to operate on a backbone
infrastructure which is presently This newsletter has been sent to you by
inadequate. Infrastructure backbone is BLACKFRIARS LLP, a full-service law firm, in
the genuine belief that its contents would be of
as important as the problem Nigeria
interest to you. If you have received this
faces today is traceable to the absence of newsletter incorrectly, or if you do not want to
national backbone from the days of receive further information about legal
Nigerian Telecommunications Limited developments in Nigeria and West Africa,
(NITEL), the first national operator. please accept our apologies. To unsubscribe
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LLP please send an email to info@blackfriars-
However, with the planned commercial law.com with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
take-off in 2010 of Glo-1 and MainOne
international submarine cables by
Globacom and Main Street Technologies
Limited, respectively, the problem of
backbone infrastructure in Nigeria may
be significantly resolved. It is expected
that when these cables berth in Nigeria,
there will be enough capacity to crash
bandwidth cost from the present $5000
per megabyte to as low as $500 per
megabyte.

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Nkeiru Onyeaso

Tel: +234 808 718 0833
Email: Nkay@blackfriars-law.com
Fax: +1 646 536 8978

©Blackfriars LLP 2009. All rights reserved. This document is for general guidance only. Definitive advice
should be sought from counsel if required. Blackfriars LLP is a Nigerian law firm with a representative
office in Toronto, Canada.