CTO 2010: US advises Nigeria on technology security

The Commercial Section of the United States Embassy in the country has announced that the theme of its annual Computer, Telecommunications and Office Equipment (CTO) cum Networking with USA (NUSA) 2010 would centre on “Technologies to Secure Nigeria’s Future.”

Senior Commercial Specialist, at the Commercial Section, Mr. Anayo Agu, who is the coordinator of CTO 2010, confirmed to ITRealms Online that they are set to host the CTO-NUSA 2010, which date has been scheduled for May 10 through 14, this year.

The event billed to hold at the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON) Center, Onikan, Lagos, he said, would focus on the technologies available to the private sector and government to enhance the cyber and physical security of all Nigerians.

The CTO-NUSA exhibition and conferences, he said, has become a market development tool of the U.S. Commercial Service in Nigeria that showcases the best technologies that U.S. companies and their Nigerian partners have to offer the region, which is on its 20th edition.

He noted that since commencement in, back in 1989, the show has a focus on encouraging office automation in Nigeria using computer and telecommunications technologies.

“It has since expanded to include the entire spectrum of high-tech U.S. products that often utilize a whole host of hardware, software, telecommunications, and remote sensing technologies to deliver business solutions that enhance all of our lives. It is the largest exhibition of its kind in West Africa,” he said.

CTO/NUSA 2010, Agu said, will feature an all-day seminar on May 10, focusing on leveraging technology to enhance security of the public and private sector in all aspects of their operations, ranging from protecting business and customer information in the digital age, confirming the identity of individuals through the use of biometrics, to preventing customs evasion through the use of remote sensing at ports and border entry points.

The exhibition and seminars, he said, are open to the public, but attendees younger than 18 years old are not permitted on the exhibit floor, except on Wednesday, May 12, 2010, when college and university students are permitted to attend.

The event, he said, helps professionals from both the public and private sector better understand the challenges they face and the array of technology-driven solutions available to successfully meet these challenges.

The seminars provide a unique platform for local and international experts to interact on critical issues, especially those related to technology diffusion, alliances and partnerships between firms, service delivery, and entrepreneurship.

The U.S. Commercial Service in Nigeria, therefore, invites stakeholders to attend and exhibit, just as exhibitors could either be U.S. or Nigerian companies that manufacture, sell, or facilitate the sale of U.S. goods and services. “It will provide a forum not only to reach Nigeria’s 145 million citizens, their businesses, and government, but also those of neighboring countries from throughout the region,” he said.

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