ITU ranks Nigeria 137th in ICT Development Index 2016

ITRealms:

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Development Index 2016 has ranked Nigeria, the 137^th 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 137^th 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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