Etisalat Appreciates Customers with End of Year Ball

L-R: Deputy Director , Nigerian Communication Commission ,  

Dr Chidi Diugwu, Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management,  

Nigerian Communication Commission, Mr Okechukwu Itanyi, and Director,

Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs, Etisalat Nigeria, 

Ibrahim Dikko during the Etisalat’s Customers’ End of the Year Ball

L-R: Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management,  

Nigerian Communication Commission, Mr Okechukwu Itanyi, Director, 

Consumer Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission, Mary Uduma,  

Director, Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs, Etisalat Nigeria, 

Ibrahim Dikko, and Director, Regulatory Compliances, 

Etisalat Nigeria, Mr Damian Udeh, during the Etisalat’s Customers’ 

End of the Year Ball

Etisalat Nigeria over the weekend took customer care and appreciation a step higher when it hosted a royal ball in honour of its high value customers from different regions of the country. The event showcased the best of comedy, music, dance and other activities from top notch entertainers and groups.

Hosted at the marquee of the Federal Palace Hotel Lagos, the audience roared with laughter as the nation’s frontline comedian Elenu did what he knows how to do best. When it got to the turn of Whiz kid and Ice Prince, the current youth icons, all the guests got to their feet and joined the artistes in doing the Pakuromo and Oleku dance steps. 

Etisalat’s Director, Regulatory & Government Affairs, Ibrahim Dikko, said the company’s hosting of the royal ball is an avenue to express appreciation to the customers who have been the centre of the Etisalat business.

The highlights of the event was a dancing competition amongst the guests where customers won the latest Samsung Galaxy Note while lots of other guests won prizes for the best dressed people at the grand event.

MTN Nigeria Names Two New Executives

*Lynda Saint-Nwafor

*Omatsola Barrow

MTN Nigeria has announced the appointment of Lynda Saint-Nwafor as Chief Technical Officer (CTO) and Omatsola Barrow as Sales and Distribution Executive.

A statement made available to onlinerommy.blogspot.com yesterday said that until her elevation, Saint-Nwafor was General Manager, Network Planning with responsibility for developing strategies aimed at improving operational efficiencies on the Network, development of game-changing Value Added Services, capacity planning and deployment of Core/Intelligent Network infrastructure, Interconnect and roaming services.

As CTO, she will be responsible for defining MTN’s Technology Strategy and roadmap, designing and planning all aspects of MTN’s network operations; oversee continued implementation of aggressive network rollout schedules, development and maintenance of technology infrastructure, as well as policy formulation and review.

Saint-Nwafor who holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology has also undertaken a spectrum of extensive executive education from leading international Business Schools, including the prestigious Columbia Business School, New York, the USA.

Prior to joining MTN Nigeria in 2002 as a Core Network Planning Engineer, she served as the Head of Department of Engineering Development and Project Management in EMIS Telecoms, and was actively engaged in review of the policy framework for deregulating the Telecommunications sector.

In a related development, Omatsola Barrow, the new Sales and Distribution Executive, joins MTN with an expansive professional background most of which were spent as head of various sales/business development units across diverse sectors. He has a track record of success in building and optimising distribution networks.

Before joining MTN, Barrow was Area Head of Trade Marketing and Distribution, West Africa Area for British American Tobacco (BAT) where he was responsible for developing and implementing the Sales, Trade Marketing & Distribution strategy for BAT. Amongst several strategic achievements, he led a sales transformation project which not only increased rural penetration, but also grew sales by 11%.

Prior to BAT, Barrow worked in Oando Plc first as the National Commercial Manager and subsequently in an executive role as the Chief Marketing Officer (Commercial). His experience in sales and distribution began in GlaxoSmithKline Nigeria Limited (GSK) where he worked in various capacities as District Manager, Regional Manager, Project Manager and Business Development Manager from March 1992 to August 2005.

Barrow holds a degree in Biochemistry from the University of Ilorin, and is an alumnus of the Graduate School of Business General Management programme of the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

House Commends MTN’s Effort On Quality of Service Improvement

L-R: Hon. Olumide Osoba, Member, Hon. Usman Bawa, Ag. Chairman, Hon. Abiodun Awoleye, all of the House Committee on Communications listening to Mr. Akinwale Goodluck, Corporate Services Executive, MTN as he explains a point to the House of Rep Members, when they visited the MTN Network Monitoring Centre, Ojota, on a working tour in Lagos on Monday......

By ROMMY IMAH

As part of its oversight functions, Nigeria’s House of Representatives Committee on Communications yesterday undertook a facility tour of the MTN Network Management Centre (NMC) in Ojota, Lagos to see for themselves the state of the facilities put in place by the GSM giants.

At a press conference soon after the tour, the Committee said it was satisfied with what it saw at the Network Management Centre, noting that MTN had what it takes to provide uninterrupted quality of service for its subscribers across the country.

It should be recalled that only recently, the Nigerian Communications Commission, the body charged with the regulation of the country’s telecommunications industry threatened to sanction some telecom service providers if they failed to improve on their service quality.

But speaking to journalists yesterday, Acting Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Communications, Honourable Usman Bawa said it was convinced by the facilities it saw at the Network Monitoring Centre that MTN was working hard to improve on its quality of telecommunication services in the country.

According to him, “we received so many complaints from telecom subscribers on the poor quality of service from operators. From what we have seen today, we are convinced that MTN is working so hard to improve on its network. I, therefore, call on other network operators to emulate MTN in this regard. On our part, we hope to keep doing our oversight functions too to all other telecoms service providers.”

On the issue of poor quality of service being experienced at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Honourable Bawa said that the report has been brought to the Committee by the NCC and that the NCC and the Ministry of the Environment are both on top of the matter. He expressed optimism that the issue will soon be resolved.

Bawa who was flanked by other members of the Committee at the conference remarked that his committee in conjunction with the NCC are working together to ensure that those who vandalise telecoms infrastructure in the country are prosecuted accordingly.

The lower chamber of the National Assembly he said was not unaware of the challenges faced by telecoms service providers especially with regard to multiple taxation. He assured that an Act will soon be passed in the House to allow for streamlining and unification of taxation and regulation in the industry.

Airtel Offers Customers More Freedom With ‘Airtel Steady Steady’

*Rajan Swaroop, Airtel Nigeria CEO




Competition in Nigeria’s telecommunications space yesterday intensified with leading telecommunications services provider, Airtel Nigeria, announcing a new package known as Airtel Steady Steady to demonstrate its commitment to offer more Nigerians innovative, affordable and flexible value propositions. 

Airtel Steady Steady is a new package that offers customers the flexibility to enjoy lower call rates by simply maintaining a higher credit balance on their lines.     

In a statement, the company said the new offer allows customers to enjoy a 25k per second call rate, with a minimum of N300 credit balance; 35k per second, between N100 and N300 credit balance, while a balance of N100 or below qualifies a customer to call at the rate of 60k/second.

Also, SMSs are charged at N5 for Airtel to Airtel: N9 to other networks and N15 for International SMS. 

Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director of Airtel Nigeria, Deepak Srivastava while speaking on the new offer said Airtel is committed to pioneering innovative telecoms solutions that will empower more Nigerians with the flexibility to communicate at pocket-friendly rates.   

“Airtel Steady Steady is designed to reward telecoms consumers across the country. The offer is a result of careful research of the behaviour of telecoms consumers in Nigeria. Airtel Nigeria is a multi-local service provider and we aim to empower Nigerians with the very best of telecoms solutions. More so, the lower tariff on the new offer is not restricted to only Airtel to Airtel calls but applies to calls made to other networks. 

“Nigerians are very social in nature, meaning that communication is a top priority. With Steady Steady, we are giving our customers an incentive to talk to even more friends, family, loved ones and business associates especially as the yuletide season draws near,” Srivastava said.

The offer is currently available to only prepaid customers.

                                                                                   

Nokia Presents Prizes To More Dual SIM Promo Winners

By ROMMY IMAH
 

*L-R: Beatrice Olumhense, Operator Account Manager, Nokia West Africa, 

Juliet Inegbedion, N500,000 winner and Teemu Kiijarvi, Head of Nokia 

Ecosystem Developer Experience (EDX) for West Africa

*The N50, 000 winners pose with Beatrice (2^nd left) and Teemu (1^st right) at the even

Nokia, world’s leading mobile phone manufacturers have continued to put smiles on the faces of their customers who emerged winners at the draws of its Dual SIM Promo held at the Nokia Nigeria’s head office in Lagos.

At the presentation of prizes to Week 3 winners and draws for Week 4, Nokia’s Operator Account Manager, Beatrice Olumhense said Nokia was delighted to be providing its customers with the kind of products they needed from the mobile device company.

She said Nokia was aware that the yuletide season is one that is very important for its consumers because they think about how they could meet up with their ever challenging environmental and business demands.

“When we started thinking about our promotion to reward our consumers, we looked at what really is the best gift for the consumers. That’s why we put up this promo and tied it around cash prizes that our consumers could actually use, and help them meet up with their challenging needs.

“Our grand prize for us is really about sharing. There is always that one special in our lives; it is either our wife, husband, children or friend. This is the reason why we put two cars down as grand prize for one person.”

Highlight of the occasion was the presentation of prizes to Week 3 winners including the star prize winner of N500,000 for the week, Mrs Juliet Inegbedion, a Lagos based educationist.

An elated Mrs Inegbedion said that she felt good winning the star prize. “God answered my prayer. At the time I was entering for the promo, I prayed to win either the N500,000 or the two cars, and God answered my prayer by making me win the N500,000.”

Inegbedion who entered the promo with one of the dual SIM Nokia phones she purchased for N16,000 said it will amount to greed for her to go in for another trial now as she would want to allow other consumers try their luck. She added that she was contented with what God did for her as the money will go a long way in taking care of some of her needs.

She described Nokia products as very reliable, rugged and easy to manipulate. “I have been using Nokia phones for a very long time. Even when a Nokia phone falls off your hand and scatters, you can pick it up, fix it back and it starts working again. Their products are quite rugged and reliable.”

On what she will do with the N500,000, Inegbedion said: “Before I went into the promo, I told you something pushed me into it. I will go back to the challenges and see the aspect of the challenges the N500,000 can take care of.”

Some other winners at the Week 3 draws also picked their cheques at the event.  

Florence Seriki Elected New ITAN President

Amazon of Nigeria’s IT industry and chief executive officer of Omatek Computers, Engineer Florence Seriki has been elected the 6^th President of the Information Technology (Industry) Association of Nigeria (ITAN). The election which took place at the just concluded Annual General Meeting of the body held at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, also witnessed the approval of a new constitution for the association.  

Seriki took over from Dr. Jimson Olufuye who served the body for four years.

A Chemical Engineer by profession, and graduate of the University of Ife now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Seriki is the founder of Omatek Computers unarguably, one of the prominent promoters of indigenous computer brands. The Omatek brand is one of the leading brands in Nigeria and the West Africa sub-region today.

She began as a computer instructor to CEOs of financial institutions during her National Youth Service days at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Victoria Island (VI), Lagos. Her stint at the NNPC office in Victoria Island, Lagos opened her eyes

Airtel, Samsung In Strategic African Partnership

*Manoj Kohli

*JK Shin

Encouraged by their strong brand equity, well developed distribution infrastructure and footprint across the African continent, Airtel Africa, a leading telecom operator in Africa and Samsung, acclaimed world’s second largest mobile manufacturer have entered into a two-year strategic African partnership agreement aimed at achieving common goals and driving penetration in the continent. 

The agreement allows Airtel exclusive distribution rights for selected Samsung products for the initial six months after they are launched. The two companies will also work together to provide market-specific products based on trends and consumer preferences, ensuring Airtel customers have access to products that are tailor made to their individual needs.

The wide range of innovative products that Samsung will collaborate with Airtel on include smart phones, mass market handsets, tablets, dongles and routers.

Samsung had between July and September this year, become the world’s largest supplier of smart phones, according to research conducted by Strategy Analytics. Over the three month period, Samsung shipped 27.8 million smart phones worldwide, compared with 17.1 million from Apple and 16.8 million from Nokia. 

Manoj Kohli, CEO (International) and Joint Managing Director, Bharti Airtel explained:  “This partnership demonstrates that we remain committed to meet Africa’s needs. We will work closely with Samsung to provide customers across every segment with cutting edge products. We will leverage each other’s distribution networks to ensure

Visafone Launches ‘Win 12 Cars’ Christmas Promo

*Sailesh Iyer

Leading Code Division and Multiple Access (CDMA) telecommunications services provider, Visafone has launched an ambitious Christmas promotion, offering its subscribers the opportunities of winning a car on a weekly basis as well as other mouth-watering 50,000 exciting prizes in the next 12 weeks.
The Telco’s  Managing Director, Sailesh Iyer said at the launch that the “Christmas Showers is an initiative offering 12 lucky subscribers weekly opportunities to win 12 brand new Picanto cars in 12 weeks. A new or existing subscriber will also have an opportunity to win one of over 50,000 other exciting consolation prizes like generators, LCD TVs, home theatres, motorcycles, air conditioners, refrigerators, microwaves, airtime and others.”
He explained that for a subscriber to get an opportunity to win any of these prizes, new subscribers need to buy and activate a Visafone line and recharge with at least 200 naira, while existing subscribers need to recharge a minimum N500 every week to qualify for the weekly draw beginning from the day of the promo launch.
“This is another way to reward our subscribers and ensure that the yuletide is a memorable experience for them. It is also a way to say a big thank you to our valued subscribers for being on our network, as well as a welcome to new subscribers."
On how subscribers can be part of the Christmas Showers, Iyer explained that “New subscribers will automatically qualify for the draw in the week of activation, registration of the line and a recharge of 200 naira, after which they will be required to recharge at least N500 weekly to qualify for the subsequent draws. Existing subscribers will qualify for the weekly draws on recharging a minimum of N500 every week following the launch.”

Etisalat’s ‘Geek Force’ Receives Accolades In Abuja

L-R: Director, Retail Sales, Mr. Charles Ogunwuyi; Retail Advisor, Rasaq Sarunmi; Retail Advisor, Ms. Adeola Opadere; Retail Advisor, Mr. David Omitogun; and Head, Retail Strategy & Roll out, Mr. Tony Iloh all of Etisalat Nigeria at the launch of Geek Force at E-Centre, Yaba .....

Etisalat’s recently introduced innovative service, Geek Force aimed at enhancing customers’ experience and make their communication lives easier has continued to receive commendations from subscribers around Nigeria, including those on other networks.

At the launch of the service in Abuja, one of the subscribers, Maria Danladi, a trader, described the new service as another winning proposition from the telecommunications company explaining that she has come to expect ‘the unthinkable’ from the GSM provider as a result of its track record of churning out innovative products and services to the delight of its customers.

She commended the giant strides made by the company in its relatively short period in the Nigerian telecommunications sector. “At times, I find it hard to believe that Etisalat has been in Nigeria for only three years, especially when one considers what they have achieved within such a short period,” she said.

Danladi thanked the company for introducing the Geek Force service, noting that such innovative service has endeared her to the network. 

Speaking in the same vein, Amarachi Uche, a civil servant and Etisalat subscriber, said the introduction of the service has once again proven that Etisalat is indeed the most innovative telecommunications company in the country, and are dedicated to customer

Visafone Introduces Prepaid Visa Entrée Xpress

.....Rolls-out 5GB EVDO Data Plan

                                                             

L-R; Visafone MD/CEO, Sailesh lyer & COO, K.V. Srinivasa

L-R; HCC, Linda Amechi, MD/CEO, Sailesh lyer & COO, K.V.Srinivasa

CDMA giants, Visafone have unveiled a new prepaid package tagged Visa Entrée Xpress. This move is aimed at enhancing the value and customer experience of communication according to the Telco.
Under the new package customers can now make calls to other networks at 50k/sec for the first minute of the day and thereafter 30k/sec with the sole aim of giving customers who talk more to enjoy tariffs as low as 15k/sec.
A statement by Visafone Head, Corporate Communication, Joseph Ushigiale, said the new innovative package is “another platform Visafone is applying to enrich customers’ experiences, make communication affordable and accessible to majority of customers."
The statement further noted that “Visafone does not only offer the lowest tariffs but it also gives clear voice and data quality with a wider reach.”
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Visafone Sailesh Iyer said apart from the low tariff customers will enjoy on the Visa Entrée Xpress package, customers will also enjoy SMS rate at N5/SMS for Visafone to Visafone, N10/SMS to any other network in Nigeria and N15 to international networks.
Iyer further explained that the new value added services allow subscribers to receive 60 free on-net SMS valid for 60 days with 1 free on-net minute every time

Technology Distributions (TD) Enters Online Marketing With Multiple Promos

*Mrs Chioma Ekeh, MD, TD Ltd

As online marketing gains more prominence in the world, Technology Distributions (TD) Limited, a leading ICT distributor in West Africa, has made a bold entry into the ICT Online market.

Famed for its deep stock of quality products direct from reputable international Original Equipment Manufacturers, TD brings online, multiple promos that define its pivotal position as the foremost ICT distributor.

According to Mrs. Chioma Chimere, Executive Director, Marketing of TD, the benefits, which begins with a 5% discount on all laptops, are turned over to resellers and end users as they confront TD online. “The resellers buy at reseller prices from an exclusive portal accessible through a password and would also get the difference from end user pricing as TD uses its credibility and capacity to serve the untouched online market.”   

The promos according to Mrs. Chimere, include the ‘Empower your Staff Promo’ that is open only to members of the Partner Advantage Scheme. It is designed to boost healthy competition among resellers and enhance staff productivity within the ICT market. While winners emerge from a raffle draw, partners must meet their quarterly target of N10m Naira to

Etisalat Launches ‘Geek Force’

*L-R: Uzor Arukwe, Steve Evans; and Toyin Olaleye all of Etisalat Nigeria at the launch in Lagos...

*L-R: Wael Ammar, Charles Ogunwuyi and Steve Evans all of Etisalat Nigeria at the launch in Lagos

Innovative telecom giants, Etisalat has launched Geek Force, a team of technology savvy and courteous sales staff who have been jointly trained by Etisalat’s in-house faculty and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to provide advisory services and to resolve technical issues on various devices at designated Etisalat Experience Centres. 

Director Retail sales, Etisalat Nigeria, Charles Ogunwuyi, while explaining the rationale behind the launch, said that Geek Force is aimed at making Etisalat’s customer’s communication life easier by providing differentiated experience through first-hand query resolution for all device related issues.

“Etisalat is proud to introduce yet another innovation aimed at helping our customers make informed decisions on the technological investments they have made. The Geek Force teams will ensure that queries and device related issues encountered by our customers with modern communication gadgets like BlackBerry, other Smart phones and Modems are attended to in a professional manner.

“All our Geeks are trained by our own in-house faculty and the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Nokia, Blackberry, Samsung, Huawei and ZTE and have

Airtel Inaugurates First Green-Site

...........Invests N93Billion In Network Capacity, Quality

*L-R: Director, Regulatory Affairs, Airtel Nigeria, Osondu Nwokoro; Chief Operating Officer & Executive Director, Airtel Nigeria, Deepak Srivastava and Director, Corporate Communications & CSR, Airtel Nigeria, Emeka Oparah during the media briefing at the company’s Headquarters in Ikoyi, Lagos...

Airtel Networks Limited, one of Nigeria’s leading telecoms operators has scored yet another first following the completion and subsequent commissioning of Nigeria’s first ever telecom Green Site in Lekki, Lagos.

Airtel had recently announced a landmark deal with Ericsson, a world-leading provider of telecommunications equipment and services to mobile and fixed network operators to upgrade its 250 diesel-powered stations in Nigeria to Green-sites, an initiative designed to enable the company harness solar energy to operate its base stations.

Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director of Airtel Nigeria, Deepak Srivastava, said at a parley with ICT journalists after a visit to the solar-powered Green-Site in Lekki, Lagos, recently that the initiative will contribute to a considerable reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and prevent network down time associated with inconsistent power supply.

Srivastava who regretted that non-availability of regular grid power supply to sites across the country is responsible for over 70% of down time resulting in poor Quality of Service

Etisalat Entices Customers With $10,000 Daily Cash Prize

......In 9ja Free Credit Promo

*L-R: Representative of the British Council, Mrs. Thelma Umeh; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Kaduna, Mr. John Woje Bagu; and Director, Regulatory & Government Affairs, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Ibrahim Dikko at the Etisalat sponsored Teacher Training Programme Kaduna State closing ceremony held at the Ministry of Education in Kaduna recently

Etisalat has announced the extension of the 9ja Free Credit Promo to December 2011. The December promo in addition to the 30% bonus airtime for recharges made within 30 days, is designed to reward new and existing registered customers on the network with a daily cash prize of Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000), and will run throughout December 2011.

Chief Commercial Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Wael Ammar, said that the promo extension is in response to the feedback from customers who are delighted at the promo offering as well as Etisalat’s commitment to constantly meet the needs of its customers. 

 “We are extending the promo in response to the yearnings of our customers who have shown tremendous excitement about the reward of over N3.5 billion airtime given out to more than 6.5 million subscribers between June and November 2011. We are happy at the positive impact the promo has had on our subscribers and are keen to extend it to offer

Intel Nigeria Names New Country Manager

*Ekundare

Intel Corporation, world’s leading chip manufacturers has announced the appointment of Olubunmi Ekundare as its country manager for Nigeria. Ekundare will take over responsibility of Intel’s commercial activities and innovations in Nigeria and will also be responsible for Intel’s businesses across West Africa.

“This is a great example of our continued commitment in building and developing our management team within Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META). Olubunmi will be responsible for driving future growth through building sustainable partnerships with the local IT ecosystem in addition to introducing the latest Intel innovations to Nigeria and West Africa,” the world’s largest semi conductor multinational said in a statement.

While accepting the offer, Ekundare said, “As country manager for Intel Nigeria my vision is to make Intel’s technology an asset to the growth and development

Nokia Unveils N9 Smartphone For Nigerian Market

*Nokia N9

                                         

World’s leading mobile device manufacturers, Nokia has officially unveiled its high end smartphone, the Nokia N9 which according to it, was built for people who appreciate a stunning blend of design and the latest smartphone technology.

Built with the latest innovative technology, the Nokia N9 promises to re-define the way smartphones are used. With its groundbreaking technology and en-vogue look and feel, the Nokia N9 promises to be a worthy and striking companion to the style conscious consumer.

Nokia's Vice President for West Africa, James Rutherfoord said, "The Nokia N9, which is available in select markets across the world, is perfectly suited for Nigeria’s high-tech and style conscious consumer who demand best-in-class products. The launch of the N9 is in line with Nokia’s commitment to meet customer demands for products that excel in performance and enhance their social standing."

Also speaking at the launch, MTN’s General Manager in charge of Business Intelligence, Ibrahim Abba Gana said MTN as a leading operator in Nigeria was delighted to be associated with an iconic device as the Nokia N9. He disclosed that MTN was offering a free data plan of 1.5GB valid for 3 months for all Nokia N9 users that are on its network.

Gana also disclosed that MTN has the widest data coverage in Nigeria and beyond adding that the telecom operator will continue to seek opportunities to

Jonathan’s Economic Team: Where Is The Place Of ICT?

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is no doubt recognized as the preferred and fastest growing industry with the power to actualize national visions and enrich economies. This explains why players in the ICT sector seem to take the anticipated success of the recently inaugurated Presidential Economic Team with a pinch of salt following their non-inclusion in the team. ROMMY IMAH examines the situation............

*President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeri

Recent developments in Nigeria have shown that the country is not relenting in its effort at becoming one of the world’s 20 leading economies come the year, 2020. The country’s leaders strongly believe that with Nigeria’s vast population spiced with rich human and natural resources, her membership of the elite global Club 20 is guaranteed.

Even if there has been doubts before now about government’s commitment to actualising this, the recent inauguration a couple of weeks ago of the 24-man Presidential Economic Managemant Team by the president himself, Goodluck Jonathan is an attestation of government’s willingness to ensure that the country plays in the exclusive Club of 20 by the year 2020. Analysts see the team’s major task as being how to manage the country’s dwindling resources in a depressing global economy in order to achieve the most profound results for her overall development.

Vision 20:2020 as it is commonly known today in Nigeria is a grand agenda, which the federal government has adopted as the main thrust of what it is out to accomplish between 2007 and the year 2020. It is a 13-year plan of dramatic socio-economic transformation of the country. The goal of the vision is to transform the Nigerian economy to be in the league of the 20 most industrialized countries of the world. Nigeria now has nine years to make this a reality.

Nigeria’s economic potential is well recognized not only in sub-regional West Africa but the whole of the African continent. It remains the biggest economy in the West African sub-region. And given the country’s considerable resource endowment and coastal location, there is potential for strong growth.

Yet, Nigeria has realized very little of this potential. Previous efforts at planning and visioning were not sustained. The much-touted Vision 2010 was for long, in a state of suspended animation for as long as one can remember. The history of economic stagnation, declining welfare and social instability, has undermined national development for most of the past four decades.

However, the Federal Government, promoters of this new project believes that in recent years (in spite of the global economic recession), the country has been experiencing a growth turnaround and that current situation of things seems right for launching the country unto a path of sustained and rapid growth hence Vision 20:2020.

Government‘s confidence seems to be bolstered by a study conducted sometime ago by Goldman Sachs, which said that by 2025, based on their parameters for growth and development, the 20 largest economies in the world would most likely include Nigeria and the BRIC nations of Brazil, Russia, India and China. These are the countries identified by Goldman Sachs to have the potential for attaining global competitiveness based on their economic and demographic settings and the foundation for reforms already laid.

*Dr. Chris Uwaje, apostle of ICT-based local content growth

Nigerian ICT professionals are worried that in spite of the very obvious relevance of information and communications technology in the overall actualization of Vision 20:2020, the Nigerian government seems not to be taking this into consideration. This worry is strongly aggravated by the glaring non-inclusion of any known ICT player in the recently inaugurated Presidential Economic Management Team.

Little wonder the composition of this team is accepted with mixed feelings by majority of Nigerians. This is why no one can blame the generality of the Nigerian population for seeing yet another case of déjà vu if the place of ICT in realizing this project is not taken into consideration especially now that the global slogan is Knowledge economy.

From $50million in 2001, Nigeria has today earned over $15billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) with telecommunication alone accounting for over 80% of this earning. Developments in the ICT sector have shown that FDI in this sector will continue to rise as long as the country remains Africa's largest ICT market.

Unfortunately, government appears to be paying deaf ears to this. In the key indicative parametres listed for development towards the actualization of the Vision 20:2020 project, for instance, government was silent in the area of ICT.