Five Nigerians have been appointed to the 92-member Multistakeholder Consultation Group of the United Nations Group on the Information Society.

The appointment was announced on the official website of the UNGIS.

The Nigerians are Jimson Olufuye, principal consultant at Kontemporary Konsulting and chair of the advisory council of the Africa ICT Alliance (AfICTA), and Ebenezer Dare, chief executive officer of Hostlag.

Others include Atule Christian, president of the National Union of Telecommunication Engineering Students of Nigeria, and Martha Alade, executive director of Women in Technology in Nigeria.

Rafiu Olaore, executive director of the Youths Enterprise Development and Innovation Society, was also appointed a member.

Expected to serve for a minimum of two years, appointments span the private sector, technical community and academia, and civil society, reflecting the group’s multi-stakeholder approach to digital development.

UNGIS announced the establishment of the consultation group to strengthen stakeholder engagement and contributions to discussions on information society priorities.

The group would build on the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 Review, including UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/80/173.

The group was also expected to build on stakeholder inputs from the 29th annual session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, the annual WSIS Forum and UNGIS events.

According to UNGIS, the group will serve as an advisory and consultative platform for regular information sharing on its priorities and for gathering perspectives and feedback from diverse stakeholder communities.

The initiative was intended to foster inclusive dialogue and strengthen cooperation among stakeholders in shaping global information society policies and priorities.

Mr Olufuye, an appointee, said their appointment was to represent information technology realities among different sectors while ensuring inclusion.

He said the telecommunications sector was mainly operated by the private sector, and leaving the government to decide what happens for millions of people was not balanced.

“My appointment from the private sector in Nigeria to the global community will present a balanced view of the information system situation on the ground. When we meet at the global level, we can present real situations and not decisions about us from Europe or elsewhere,” Mr Olufuye said.

He said he was a member of the Informal Multistakeholder Sounding Board on the review of WSIS+20, where his private-sector expertise was used.

“Operating in the private sector, I will bring in my knowledge and experience of the information technology industry to ensure our voices are heard at the global stage,” Mr Olufuye said.

The WSIS process is a UN-led initiative aimed at building an inclusive, people-centred and development-oriented information society, with emphasis on leveraging information and communication technologies to advance sustainable development.

(NAN)