ITAN ready for CEO’s summit

The Information Technology (Industry) Association of Nigeria (ITAN) has concluded plans to host a one day summit for Information Technology (IT) chief executive officers, this month, tagged IT Future 2010, with the theme, ‘Empowering IT CEOs for offshore and outsourcing projects.’

Chairman of the local organizing committee of ITAN and chief executive of Programos Software, Mr. Emmanuel Amos, made this disclosure in Lagos last weekend, saying that the summit is being organized in conjunction with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) Africa Regional Secretariat.

He also said that the event slated to hold at Protea Hotel, Maryland Ikeja, Lagos, would be the assembly of who is who in IT-related Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector.

According to him, it is a strategy to empower Nigerian IT CEOs in collaboration with their international counterparts to tap into the huge potentials for IT-BPO growth in the country.

Amos, who was accompanied by Mr. Tayo Adeniyi, Executive Director, Worldwide Computer Systems Limited and ITAN administrative officer, Mr. Muyiwa Shamakin, at the press briefing said that the summit would serve as one of the opportunity for the nation to showcase an exemplary IT-BPO industry, the Kano ICT Park.

Stressing that they are partnering with the National Software and Services Companies of (NASSCOM) India and stands out as a unique platform to facilitate the empowerment and enrich the nation’s economy.

Equally, he said participants would be joined by foremost industry associations based in the United States of America (USA), TechAmerica and PIKOM of Malaysia to boost the summit.

He pointed out that annually IT-BPO has recorded over $600 billion, about N90.7 trillion, with India currently leading in this sector, with earnings in excess of 60 per cent.

Amos noted that the event is a natural follow-up to the recent workshop by the National Economic Management Team (NEMT) and the World Bank aimed at growing the Nigerian BPO sector so as to create jobs and wealth as part of broad strategy for the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals and the attainment of the Nigerian Vision 20: 2020.

Some of the key participants, he said, include international and national IT leaders that have confirmed participation include Mr. Phil Bond, President TechAmerica USA, Mr. Som Mittal President, NASSCOM India, Dr Jimson Olufuye, President ITAN and Vice Chairman WITSA Sub-Saharan Africa.

Others are Mr. Ismail Radwan, Senior Private Sector Development Specialist, Africa Region, the World Bank, Mr. Titi Omo-Ettu, President ATCON, and Mr. Chris Uwaje, President ISPON, Prof Cleopas Angaye, DG National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr Umar Bindir, Director, National Office of Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) and Dr Sola Afolabi, Director, Community Computer Centre ECOWAS Commission.

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