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Minister, Stakeholders to Focus On Broadband At ICT Forum
[April 24, 2014]

Minister, Stakeholders to Focus On Broadband At ICT Forum


(AllAfrica Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson, and the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Eugene Juwah, will join industry stakeholders to deliberate on the importance of broadband at this year's eWorld Technology Forum.



According to the organisers, Johnson and Juwah would along industry trade chiefs, lay emphasis on the need for fast broadband deployment in the country for national development at this year's eWorld Forum, which is designed to mark the 2014 World Telecommunications and Information Society Day (WTISD) celebrations slated for May16.

The industry chiefs include Vice-Chairman of the National Broadband Council, Dr Ernest Ndukwe; Director-General of National Information and Technology Development Agecny (NITDA), Mr. Peter Jack; President of Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Lanre Ajayi; President of Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) Mr. Pius Okigbo Jnr.; President of Nigerian Computer Society (NCS), Professor David Adewumi; and Chairman of Teledom Group International, Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem.


Others are President of Digital Bridge Institute, Professor Raymond Akwule, who will chair the event; Technical Consultant to Nigerian Broadband Awareness Campaign, Mr. Jinmi Sonuga; and Chief Technical Officer of Microsoft Nigeria, Mr. Olayinka Oni.

The WTISD event which will be celebrated worldwide on May 16 is being coordinated by eWorld Magazine and Ajomedia Limited, with a focus on how broadband can be used to sustain national economic and social development. The event comes at a time when ICT contributed to over eight per cent to Nigeria's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), worth $510 billion.

Speaking on the celebration, the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Dr. Hamadoun Toure said; "The thrust to push the broadband agenda for sustainable development focuses on the dual goals of supporting the deployment of mobile broadband and the continued rollout of fixed-line technologies along with a thrust on meeting the global challenges of our times, such as combating climate change." Broadband-based ICT networks, he added are powerful cross-cutting enablers to achieve the three pillars of sustainable development - economic growth, social inclusion and environmental balance.

According to Ndukwe, "There is no alternative to adopting broadband. It is critical to development. Anybody who is not able to use digital platform is not among members of the digital economy." He added, "Nigeria needs many more advocates in both the public and private sectors of the economy in advancing the course of broadband development." Underscoring the importance of the eWorld Forum and its theme, Publisher of eWorld Magazine and CEO of Ajomedia, Aaron Ukodie said, "We cannot over flog the importance of broadband to national economic development. The message should be taken to the rooftops and should resonate in national consciousness hence the importance of the eWorld Forum." Copyright This Day. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).

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