Computer society partners SMEDAN, BoI on NITEX’10

The Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) is partnering the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and the Bank of Industry (BoI) on this year’s Nigeria Information Technology Exhibition (NITEX) to be held in Lagos.

National President, NCS, Prof. Charles Uwadia made this disclosure while addressing newsmen, weekend, at the national secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja-Lagos.

Uwadia who was accompanied by the chairmen of Conferences; Publicity, Events and Trade Services, Messrs Afolabi Owolabi and Tajudeen Ejalonibu respectively as well as the Executive Secretary, Mr. Ejide Oladunmoye, said that NITEX 2010 would be held next month, April at the Multi-purpose Hall, University of Lagos, Akoka campus, Lagos.

He also said that the three-day event slated for April 14 through 16 and plans have been concluded to partner SMEDAN and Bank of Industry, so as to further draw the attention government agencies on the need to promote local software and form synergy between them and SMEs likes those in the Computer Village, Lagos.

Equally, he said, NCS is closely working with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) to ensure that the three-day event accommodates a good percentage of local actors, especially in hardware and software.

The likes of Bank of Industry, Consumer Protection Agency (CPC) and Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), he said, are being consulted for collaboration in no distant time.

He recalled that NITEX commenced in 1997 with the name, Made in Nigeria Software Exhibition (MNISE), which was later transformed into Nigeria Software Exhibition (NISE), both geared towards promotion of indigenous software development in the country.

This transformation, Uwadia noted, which is all-embracing to ‘Information Technology’ is being done the second time in this year 2010, having held the maiden edition in November 2008.

NITEX, he pointed out, is in conformity with trends of technology globally by way of its inclusiveness, thus serving as the best in the interest of hardware, software, developers in the manufacturing industry including, vendors and prospective customers.

“The exhibition tends to promote and showcase the abundant skills and expertise available locally in Nigeria in different facets of IT and will also encourage creativity, innovation and healthy competition among industry players within local vendors/developers and between local and foreign brands,” he said.

Additionally, he said, NITEX would create an emerging market locally that will offer customers opportunity to select products and services of their choice particularly, such tasking services like unlocking of coded devices as well as promote and encourage indigenous and local entrepreneurs and their product brands and provide platform to showcase indigenous and locally assembled/developed IT hardware/software products as well as services among other benefits.

NCS, Prof. Uwadia noted, as the main body of all stakeholders and professionals assured all potential exhibitors of further mileage of their product and services during the exhibition.

“It is my fervent hope that this year’s NITEX 2010 will convey the IT strength to Nigerian policy makers that potentials abound in the country from where the march towards 20-2020 is achievable with right support to the players in the industry,” he said.

NITEX, he further said, encourages the participation of small scale industrialist to come out and take advantage of the ‘Developers valley’ and demonstrate their competence where they would be accommodated in their products and services as IT solution providers without being subjected to full exhibition costs.

“This time around, NCS has made provision for their shortcomings,” he said.


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