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National Software Policy, Ready for Approval(AllAfrica Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The national software policy is ready for approval, a source at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has told THISDAY. NITDA, the clearing house for IT projects in the Nigerian public sector last year, set up the National Software Policy Committee (NSPC) with members drawn from a broad spectrum of stakeholders to develop a national software policy aimed at providing a blueprint to make Nigeria a competitive country in the area of software development. THISDAY gathered that this broad spectrum of stakeholders has finally submitted a draft national software policy to the NITDA for possible approval. The intention of this software policy is to encourage an environment of informed and responsible behaviour that supports the established culture of openness, trust and integrity whilst facilitating effective software asset management and direct foreign investment. The competent source from NITDA stated that given the existing political and socio-economic status of the country in West Africa, in particular, and Africa in general, the fundamentals existed for the emergence of the country as a global competitor in the software market with ancillary beneficial impact of poverty alleviation, gender equality, and wealth creation in the society. According to the draft policy on software, the source said, there was a good evidence that the domestic market for software products and services is huge. He added that the challenge facing Nigeria was how much of this market opportunity was linked to the emergence of a vibrant local software economy and capability as opposed to net negative capital flight and job loses to international competition. "Thus, while indigenous software is capable of reducing the existing capital flight through foreign software. It also has the capacity to attract the tremendous foreign earnings desirable for accelerated growth of Nigerian economy. The national software policy is pivotal in answering this question" the source said. According to the source, NITDA is committed to protecting the IT industry from actions caused by individuals or group of persons, either knowingly or unknowingly who break software copyright. This policy outlines the acceptable activities in dealing with software in Nigeria, as the unavailability of this exposes the users of software applications to risks including the inability to manage software with respect to costs, assets and media, licensing compliance and legal issues. A centralised approach to software asset management enables the IT sector to maximise the return on investment and to minimise the risks related to software. The benefits of this approach include strategic alignment, volume purchasing, improved productivity, version optimisation, better software support, easier administration, reduced risks from viruses and illegal software, and mitigation against breach of copyright and litigation due to non-compliance. Promoting software as one of the topmost critical national information infrastructure for the growth of the country's economy, promoting and facilitating software industry growth with a view to improving the quality and effectiveness of public service delivery, as well as driving transparency were the missions of the national software policy, the source added. The source also reiterated that accountability in governance, improving the standard of living of Nigerians through the use of software in all sectors as a tool to enhance productivity, efficiency and optimum utilisation of resources, promoting the country as a hub for growth of software industry and facilitating the flow of investment amongst others were some of its other missions. Furthermore, software human capital, software infrastructure, software fiscal policy, software industry economics, software legislative, regulatory and institutional framework, software and national development strategy, software research, innovation and development, among others, it was gathered were the focus areas of the national software policy. Copyright This Day. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). |