NIGERIA: As part of its plan to achieve digital service by 2030, Nigeria’s federal government has made available the FinTrac Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Product for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
Professor Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, stated in Abuja that digital service is the most needed skill globally and that there is an urgent need for its implementation in Nigeria’s working system.
Pantami, who was represented by the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, spoke on the theme: “Sustainable Development through the Adoption of Indigenous ICT Solutions in the Public Sector,” noting that in order for Nigerians to achieve self-sufficiency, they must consume whatever they produce and vice versa.
“We all know that Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is used by only a few ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) today. “As a result, this is a welcome development because it not only covers Federal Government Agencies, but it also targets the Public Sector, which means bringing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions to a non-consumer sector,” Pantami explained.
Training 1 million Developers
Pantami urged the FinTrac Software developers’ team to do more by looking for innovative solutions and educating the audience on what they need to know in order for the ministry to equip and enhance the knowledge of one million other young software developers to take the next step in development.
“Research has shown that no nation can achieve sustainable development without self-sufficiency; in order to achieve self-sufficiency, we must develop ourselves,” the Minister emphasised.
He went on, approximately 70-80 percent of technology consumed today is software-based, and Nigeria has a greater competitive advantage in the software sector than in the hardware sector, owing to the massive talent pool in the country.
Pantami added that there is no single reason why Nigeria will not excel in achieving self-sufficiency in software development. “We cannot do this in silos.” We need to work together to generate the necessary push for sustainability. The federal government is not sitting on its hands, but rather looking for better ways to create an enabling environment, formulate policies, and build critical infrastructure in unserved and underserved communities in order to achieve the desired transformation.”
Bimbo Abioye, Managing Director of FinTrac Software Group, stated in his presentation that if the federal government is fully prepared to adopt a digital system, the company can engage over 5000 youths.
Another critical reason for local content in software, according to Abioye, is the security of the nation’s data and critical information, which are currently housed in foreign applications.
Engaging Youths
“Today, FinTrac employs over 150 people. FinTrac Academy is training 40 young Nigerians. “These individuals are compensated and trained for a period of six months. In a position to join our workforce. Our total workforce now stands at 190 and those 190 people may have up to ten dependents. So, the company is assisting in the provision of a living for 1900 Nigerians, and we can do much more,” Abioye said.
He pleaded with the Ministry and the Agencies it oversees to lead the way in the adoption of FinTrac ERP, Performance Management and Electronic Document Management System, and eGovernment Workflows on a Cloud platform, while hoping for other MDAs to join the platform to help the federal government achieve its goals.
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