connecting the next billions for social and economic growth & development by jimson olufuye...
TRANSCRIPT
Connecting the next billions for Social and Economic Growth &
Development
by
Jimson Olufuye PRINCE2, CISA, CISM, PhD
Chair, AfICTACEO, Kontemporary Konsulting
Agenda
Introduction Solution Approach thro PM Where are we? Challenges and Impediments
eFrictions How to reach the Goals? Conclusion
Introduction
Noting the essence of connecting more people to the Internet is to foster social and economic growth and development; and the improvement in the living standard of the people, I've taken liberty to tweak the topic a little to “Connecting the next billions for Social and Economic Growth & Development”.
Introduction
Since this is Africa IGF, I'll also add connecting the next 100m in Africa for social and economic growth and development. I believe if we identify solutions in Africa, they would most likely be applicable to the rest of developing world.
Solution approach through Programme/Project Management
Approaching the next billion through Programme/project management perspective by considering 5 important Principles and 7 themes that MUST be considered throughout connecting the next 1billion Internet users project:
Solution approach through Programme/Project Management
The principles are:
Continued business justification: (pursuing the project has benefits and helps to fulfil the SDGs; if we're truly connecting this with the SDGs then we should be talking about connecting the whole world by the year 2030)
Learn from experience: What was reaching the initial 3 billion like? What did we do right to make that happen
Solution approach through Programme/Project Management
… the principles are:
Defined roles and responsibilities: Who and who is to do what and what?
Manage by stages: Break the implementation into measurable phases
Focus on products: The end result.
Solution approach through Programme/Project Management
And the themes are:
Business case: Why? Focus on the objectives
Organisation: Who? Describes the role of the organisation to manage the project effectively in our countries
Quality: What the output will be? Narrow band or broadband. Anything from 1mbps access is broadband.
Solution approach through Programme/Project Management
... the themes are:
Plans: How? How much? When? This is the focus of communication and control throughout the project.
Risks: What if? How uncertainty is managed?
Changes: What is the impact?
Progress: Where are we now? Where are we going?
Where are we?
Around 40% of the world population has an internet connection today.
In Nigeria, it's 50% of the 170m people (by NCC data) and close to 40% in Africa.
In 1995, global Internet penetration was less than 1%. Likewise in Africa and Nigeria.
Where are we?
The number of internet users has increased tenfold from 1999 to 2013.
The first billion was reached in 2005. The second billion in 2010. The third billion in 2014.
Where are we?
We may by inference reach the next billion by the year 2017! Or the next 100m in Africa considering that 10% of global Internet users are in Africa. I expect that Africa would do better by 2017.
More than 23tbps fibre rings cover Africa and that is more than enough for broadband in Africa talkless of narrow band.
Challenges and Impediments
Bandwidth supply exist in a way, the challenges are lack of adequate terestrial connection to the inter-land from the coasts and tackling the demand side.
These are the challenges to achieving the next billion globally and 100million in Africa and even getting those to be connected connected.
Challenges and Impediments
E-frictions as alluded by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) are impediments to connecting the next 1billion and are also the challenges on boosting the demand side on the available bandwidth.
Challenges and Impediments
The e-frictions are in five categories viz:
Infrastructure Industry Individual Information and Policy
Challenges and Impediments
On Infrastructure, the following factors are responsible:
Access limitation – affordability Lack of terrestrial fibre pipes to major towns
and cities High frequency licence cost Delay in reaping the digital dividend due to
digital migration delays Security
Challenges and Impediments
On Industry, the following factors are responsible:
Shortage of capital – funding Shortage of skilled labour. Most graduates
are unemployable at the go Low capacity to access on-line services
Challenges and Impediments
Individual-related e-friction factors include: Inability to use payment platforms to buy and
sell products Frustration in getting desired information for
on-demand transactions e.g. feedback delays on government portals
Awareness challenges Privacy concerns and Concerns related to security of data –
data jurisdiction
Challenges and Impediments
Information-related e-friction factors include:
Lack of content on the government services particularly in local languages
Lack of openness Obstacles to accesing certain types of
content
Challenges and Impediments
Policy-related e-friction factors include: Lack of political will Lack of effective monitoring and evaluation
process Multiple taxation issues
Challenges and Impediments
All the above are frictions that need to be removed to reach the next millions in Africa and billions in the world...
How?
Ministry of Communications & InformationTechnology or departments responsible ICT should review their ICT & broadband policy/plans through enhanced multi-stakeholder cooperation involving diverse stakeholder group towards ensuring that all are involved in the policy implimentation.
How?
In Nigeria for example, Ministry of CommTech while concerned mainly with policy formulation has articulated 3 key policy documents through the multi-stakeholder approach.
How?
The documents are ICT Policy, Broadband Plan (for 100% broadband coverage in Nigeria by 2020) and Local Content Policy; and are committed to realising the goals set in the documents through NCC, NITDA and NIGCOMSAT.
How?
NCC has licensed Infracos to provide access to the interior using the Universal Service Provision Fund. NCC preparedness to license frequency white spaces on digital migration. Positive effect of the initiatives on the Nigerian economy is anticipated between 2016 and 2017.
How?
NIGCOMSAT on its part has connected over 80 polytechnics and is currently focusing on providing connectivity to rural and unreached locations. NITDA on its part has concluded the eGovernment masterplan and on approval by the new government plans to reach out to stakeholders. The primary purpose of the plan is to deliver government content for public use.
How?
Government should demonstrate requisite political will to impliment viable policies already in place. There are cases like once a government replaces another it abandons on-going project by the previous governments.
How?
Smart Initiatives pioneered by President Kagame at the regional level should be sustained to help remove e-frictions in states/countries such as right of way challenge, multiple taxation and deployment of government services on-line using the open data model.
How?
Effective monitoring and evaluation of programme using online realtime portal reportage.
How?
Some stakeholders said at the recently conculded Highway Africa Conference in Grahamstown, South Africa that AU HoS have been meeting for 50years and Africa is not united, they recommended it is high time AU changes course and embrace enhanced multi-stakeholder approach to its meetings with governments, private sector, civil society and academia/technical cooperating and collaborating.
How?
Last week exclusive meeting of Ministers of ICTs of AU was a good start but without the engagement of other stakeholders is not enhanced multi-stakeholder cooperation. AfICTA reached out to governments to participate at AfICTA Summit but none sent any representation. Again that is NOT enhanced multi-stakeholder cooperation.
Conclusion
One of the outcomes of 3rd AfICTA Summit is the Johannesburg Declaration in which AfICTA commits to create 1,000,000 jobs in Africa by the year 2020. I'd like to throw a challenge to African governments to support this initiative.
Conclusion
So, connecting the whole world and not just the next billion to the Internet for social and economic development depends on policy makers and thought leaders working together in Africa in particular for the benefit of all.
