Making this assertion recently is the Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr. Ernest Ndukwe at the 2nd edition of the Stanford Africa Business Forum, held at the University of Stanford.
He said, the avalanche of wireless revolution; the internet phenomenon, the broadband capabilities and the massive deployment of national and intercontinental optic fibre highways have accelerated global access to information resources and changed the way people live and transact business.
Dr. Ndukwe also said a few years ago, the African continent represented a region of major concern to the international community because of its inability to industrialize and embrace essential technologies that are required to facilitate economic development of the region, stating that infrastructural facilities such as roads, transportation systems, public power supply, communications and information technologies were inadequate in most of the 52 countries in the continent.
He identified efficient and reliable public electric power supply and pervasive, reliable and modern and information and communication technology as pivotal for African renaissance, saying that if the continent could get these two infrastructure components right, the rest will fall in line and the continent would firmly be on the path of major economic growth.
He warned that ICT will not solve all the problems of sustainable development or social economic challenges but that nations that fail to take great opportunities offered by ICTs are likely to be left far behind in the global economy.
The NCC boss told the gathering that President Umaru Yar’Adua has this at the core of the seven point agenda of his presidency and advised Africans in the diaspora to consider coming home and join in the task of developing the continent.
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