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Experts in IT Space has called for the need to align the right strategy and policies in Nigeria so as to fully harness the benefits of emerging technologies.
This call to charge was made at the 15th International Conference organized by the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) theme ‘Emerging Applications and Technologies for Industry 4.0 (EATI’2020)” held virtually.
In his keynote address, the cybersecurity and cyber diplomacy expert, Christopher Painter said as Nigeria embrace digitalization, cyber-related issues call for urgency.
According to him, cybersecurity is a critical aspect of the digital economy hence lack of safe digital gateways creates distrust in the system.
Painter noted that cybersecurity enables innovation and economic growth at large. He also stressed a need for a multi-stakeholder approach to enable every cybersecurity-related issues to be treated with urgency.
Painter who has been operating in the cybersecurity space in the last 30 years, said, “As Nigeria diversifies and embraced digital economy approach, cybersecurity has to be treated with seriousness especially at the highest decision-making levels of the economy.
“Nigeria has national cybersecurity law, however, the need now is to align the cybersecurity strategy with the digital economy blueprint”.
The keynote speaker who commended the ngCERT approach called for improved Public-Private Partnerships, diplomatic responses and capacity development to achieve the economic focus.
Speaking also, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Kashif Inuwa Abdullahi, said that COVID-19 has triggered an unprecedented paradigm shift in the way we live, work and play and has forced us to embrace new practices’
Ably represented by the Director, ITIS Department, Dr. Usman Gambo Abdullahi said, “the new normal will dominantly be powered by innovative technology, and it will accelerate the development of the Digital Economy”.
“As the pandemic makes digital services more profound, we understood the convenience of remote engagement, and its drawbacks are now less disturbing, we believe there is going to be a silver lining in COVID-19”, he added.
Applauding NCS on the choice of the international conference theme, the Minister of Sport, Sunday Dare stressed that efforts must be geared towards supporting young people to acquire digital skills relevant in the era of industry 4.0 must be embraced.
The Minister emphasized that the D.E.E.L initiative (Digital skill and literacy, E for Entrepreneurship, E for Employment while L stands for Literacy and mentoring), which is the umbrella term that encapsulates other skill acquisition programmes of the Ministry, was carefully crafted to address the burning issues of unemployment and employability of the Nigerian youths.
According to him, these deliberate policies and initiatives would create entrepreneurs and leaders for mentoring in the country even in the era of Industry 4.0.
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The President, Nigeria Computer Society, Prof. Adesina Sodiya in his welcome address stated that they have indeed made the conference truly international in all standards as more than 40% of manuscripts submitted for this conference came from outside Nigeria.
In his words, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution is emerging and evolving at an exponential rate and disrupting industries in every country.
“This is actually leading to the transformation of entire systems of production, management and governance. While many organizations are still feeling indifferent about this new revolution, others are implementing changes and preparing for the future of smart manufacturing and business processes.
This conference will discuss the current perspectives and future directions of industry 4.0, as well as the effective transformation strategies.
“The opportunities and benefits of a complete transformation to industry 4.0 will be presented at this conference.
“This is the first time in the history of Nigeria Computer Society that selected articles will be published in the Springer indexed Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing. We have carefully chosen top-level technology experts in and outside Nigeria as our speakers.
In addition, the assembly showcases the traditional programmes such as Grand Finale of the IT Quiz Competitions, NCS Scholarship Fund, Induction of New Members, Fellows’ Forum and Annual General Meeting and the closing with an interesting Online Dinner and Award Night.
In his goodwill message, the President and Chairman-in-Council, Computer Professionals (Registration Council) of Nigeria (CPN), Professor Charles Uwadia said, “without doubt, NCS as a forward-looking body is living up to its billing as the national platform for the promotion and advancement of Information Technology profession in Nigeria.
According to him, over the years, this Conference has always provided a unique opportunity to bring together stakeholders from government, industry, academia, multilateral agencies, international organizations, youth groups and civil society to share knowledge and experiences towards leveraging IT Innovation to achieve sustainable and inclusive societies.
