An expert says Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit and rising equipment costs are stalling the growth of the country’s information and communication technology industry.

Adeolu Ogunbanjo, the president of the National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers, made the observation in an interview on Friday.

Mr Ogunbanjo assessed the industry’s performance in the first quarter of 2024.

He said the ICT industry had been a pillar of Nigeria’s economy but was hindered by increased costs of deploying technologies and other equipment in base stations and other places.

Ogunbanjo said the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, had been doing a lot of job creation and funding for startups but would need to do more to ensure more support for the telecommunications sector.

He said incessant increases in equipment prices would increase service costs to subscribers.

Rogba Adeoye, executive secretary of the Information Technology Systems and Security Professionals (ITSSPs), said the ICT industry had not been segregated enough for more effective service delivery.

Mr Adeoye, who said Mr Tijani’s office focused on innovation, communication, and the digital economy, urged that more attention be paid to all of them because of their importance to the growth of the ICT industry.

‘’The ministry should not focus on one aspect. There is a need for capacity development, effective monitoring, and coordination of the digitisation process. The federal government should be willing to support its number one digital infrastructure, the National Identity Management Commission, because it has so many issues,” Mr Adeoye said.

According to him, NIMC will be the country’s pride if properly equipped.

He urged the removal of bureaucratic bottlenecks hindering NIMC operations and called for increased budgetary allocation for the ICT sector to facilitate growth.

The executive secretary called for increased government support for telecommunication companies to tackle their challenges and deliver better for the growth of the ICT sector.

He appealed to governments to support the Nigeria Computer Society and related bodies’ workshops and seminars on building the capacity of technicians.

Yemi Odutola, external relations team lead at Women Technology Empowerment Centre, said the ICT industry recorded laudable initiatives in the first quarter of 2024 but faced challenges.

Mr Odutola said there had been a brain drain in the ICT sector, which had affected the performance of many financial institutions.

“At the state level, the right of way for laying fibre optic cables still needs local education and co-operation. On skill gap, more statistics are needed to address it by governments and NGOs,” he said.

However, Mr Odutola said Mr Tijani had shown commitment to advancing the ICT industry. He urged the minister to do his best to grow the industry, adding that stakeholders should give him the desired support.

“The minister has to ascertain areas where the industry is lagging behind so as to draw up projections and strategies that can enhance growth,” Mr Odutola said.

(NAN)