By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Oyo State has been assured of an Information, Communication, and Technology (ICT) Park worth N500 million this year by Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Chairman, Adeolu Akande.
Akande disclosed this on Wednesday when he hosted members of Omo Ajorosun Club at his residence in Ibadan, who went to honour him with an award of excellence as part of activities to mark the club’s anniversary.
The ICT park, being funded by the NCC, will create jobs and empower the youth, he enthused.
The Guardian (Nigeria) reported Akande as saying that the park will provide innovation and digital fabrication laboratories for the ICT innovators and entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into products and prototypes.
He expressed gratitude to the club for honouring him and promised to always identify with Ibadan, his city of birth.
The club lauded him for his contribution to the growth and development of Ibadan but stressed that the indigenes will not discriminate against non-indigenes.
ICT Parks in six zones
Construction Review Online recalls that the NCC had announced in May 2020 that ICT Parks will be constructed in the six zones across the country.
The National ICT Park in Abuja, costing $23.4 million, will be the first to be built and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the project in February this year.
NCC Executive Vice Chairman, Umar Danbatta, said in 2020 that four ICT parks were already being built in Abeokuta (South West), Enugu (South East), Maiduguri (North East), and Kano (North West).
Those for the North Central and South South were underway, he added.
An ICT Park encompasses the construction and equipping of fully-functional Tier-4 Digital Industrial Complex (DIC).
The aim is to
· Provide innovation labs and digital fabrication laboratories (Fablabs) for use by ICT innovators and entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into products and prototypes
· Provide commercial Hubs for ICT capacity building and digital skills
· Create employment and entrepreneurial activities and facilitate smart city deployment across the DIC.
· Support government ICT policies by facilitating availability and accessibility of ICT services and promoting their usage across all sectors.
· Build capacity for Nigerian teaming youths in skill acquisition and innovation to join existing initiatives for accelerating socio-economic transformation.
Abuja ICT Park
Construction Review adds that the National ICT Park in Abuja, cited on a 4,200-square metre land, is the first of its kind in Nigeria due to its nature, activities, and the state-of-the-art facilities.
It will have a National ICT Exhibition Centre, Museum for ICT, and postal services to showcase technology-related innovations by Nigerians.
The project is supported by the National Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre (NDIEC) launched recently.
Communications and Digital Economy Minister, Isa Pantami, said the National ICT Park will be a focal point for the supervision of both public and private ICT hubs in the country.
“It will also serve as a centre for National ICT Policy formulation, Research, and Development. Through it the federal government will provide the enabling environment for creative Nigerians to come up with innovative technologies,” he explained.
The National ICT Park will also
· Boost the digital economy
· Provide space and environment for the growth of innovation-driven enterprises (IDEs)
· Serve as an incubator for cutting-edge technology
· Serve as a mentorship platform for innovators
· Provide a central location for Nigerian innovators to receive mentorship and support
The project springs from the National Strategic Digital Economy Policy which Abuja adopted last year. Its Pillar Five seeks to develop and promote digital services.
