The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Development
Index 2016 has ranked Nigeria, the 137th out of its 175 members under
review for this year, just as the Korea Republic tops the ranking chat, reports
ITRealms.
This is coming as Nigeria’s economic value within the ICT
for Development Index was 2.72, whereas it was 2.48 in 2015, while the ranking
was stagnant, that is 137th in the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU)-organised indexing.
ITRealms gathered that the index was unveiled at the just
concluded 14th Global Symposium on ICT indicators held in
Gaborone, Botswana, between November 21 and 23, 2016.
The ICT Development Index (IDI)
is the official instrument by which we measure globally the level of
development of the ICT sector. This index uses 11 indicators among which are the
number of mobile phone subscriptions, the number of households with a computer
the number of Internet users, the number of subscriptions to fixed broadband
internet and mobile broadband, the literacy rate, etc.
According
to ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao, the Measuring the Information Society
Report is widely recognized as the repository of the world's most reliable
and impartial global data and analysis on the state of global ICT development
and is extensively relied upon by governments, international organizations,
development banks and private sector analysts and investors worldwide.
"To
bring more people online, it is important to focus on reducing overall
socio-economic inequalities. Education and income levels are strong
determinants of whether or not people use the Internet. ICTs will be essential
in meeting each and every one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
and this report plays an important role in the SDG process. Without measurement
and reporting, we cannot track the progress being made and identify areas that
require action, and this is why ITU gathers data and publishes this important
report every year," he said.
The
Republic of Korea, he said, topped the IDI rankings in 2016 for the second
consecutive year. The top 10 countries of the IDI 2016 also include two
other economies in the Asia-Pacific region, and seven European countries. Three
island countries in the Caribbean – St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, and Grenada
– featured among the most dynamic countries with strong improvements in their
IDI value and rank.
For
Brahima Sanou, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau, this
year's results showed that nearly all of the 175 countries covered by the index
improved their IDI values between 2015 and 2016, which produces the report each
year.
"During the same period, stronger improvements have been made on ICT
use than access, mainly as a result of strong growth in mobile-broadband uptake
globally. This has allowed an increasing number of people, in particular from
the developing world, to join the information society and benefit from the many
services and applications provided through the Internet," he said.
Nenye Dom/GEE
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Pix: ITU Sec-Gen Houlin Zhao
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