" ITREALMS: Mobile devices increase opportunity – Ngcaba

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Mobile devices increase opportunity – Ngcaba

Information Technology expert and chairman, Dimension Data, Mr. Audile Ngcaba, has declared that mobile devices have increased opportunity for African continent.

Ngcaba, who was in Lagos for a one-day IT exhibition (ITEX) remarked at the occasion identified some key elements of an emerging market as service providers, financial services, oil and gas and the resource sector in form of gold, diamond and platinum among others.

He said that these elements exist in Africa and in Nigeria particularly, adding that the emergence of mobile devices have increased the opportunity for the continent.

“People can communicate with various sectors and areas almost simultaneously and instantaneously,” he said.

In the financial and banking environment, Mr. Ngcaba said transferring money, in time past, was difficult but today, with modern network and technology, people could transfer money easily, adding that there are lots of room for more growth in this area.

Dimension Data, he further said, partners to provide services that would provide opportunity for chief executive officers (CEOs) and entrepreneurs to meet with requirement of their customers and shareholders.

A growing economy, he said, faces a lot of challenges in the area of infrastructure, such as power facility, New Dimension, he stated, can assist to reduce these burdens and offer a most efficient way of seamless communication in voice and data.

Services Director, Middle East and Africa , Dimension Data, Mr. Derek Wilcocks’ presentation examined the crucial role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in creating sustainable businesses, environmental and macroeconomic practices.

He named global warming, poverty and population change as some of the factors impacting negatively on sustainability.

He listed technology, capital, labour quality, economies of scale and resource allocation as some factors that drive national wealth.

Mr. Wilcocks equally said economies are either factor driven, investment driven or innovation driven, stating that human resource, above all else, is the most prized.

According to him, telecommunication in Nigeria since 2001, has provided about one million jobs stating that in Kenya, there exist wheelchair mobile payphone providing jobs for the less privileged.

In his own contribution, the chief technology officer, Dimension Data, Mr. Cecil Thokoane, explained the role of ICT in empowering Africa through e-government, e-education and e-health.

He demonstrated how ICT could help lower the cost of doing business, reduce poverty and assist in Africa’s integration into the global economy.

He demonstrated how ICT could be used as a strategic tool and how unified communications as well could help to drive telecommunications expense management.

Mr. Thokoane, who serves as technology advisor to the Middle East and African region, also emphasized that for the goal of the 189 countries who are signatories to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to meet their expectation by 2019, “ICT must be deployed to fight the many challenges facing the world, especially the African continent,” he suggested, adding that ICT could serve as a catalyst to drive improvement of the gross domestic product (DGP) of the nation and the continent.

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