By Emeka Aginam

With re-election of Chris Uwaje for second term running , the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria, (ISPON) has projected that Nigeria’s software local content can earn the nation in excess of $100 billion annually, if well harnessed.

The Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) represents the interests of the national software engineering and services developers’ community in Nigeria and in the Diaspora.

He warned that Nigeria may be digitally colonized in the 21s century knowledge society if local content is not given priority attention for foreign earning.

He said that the ISPON main focus was to contribute to the improvement of the nation’s computer literacy index while promoting and spreading the use of “Nigerian developed” application software and services at all levels.

Uwaje in his acceptance speech noted that now that Nigeria is forging deeper into the 21st century information society, its wealth and international competitiveness would be significantly influenced by its ability to develop and exploit intellectual capital and to harness the power of information technology (IT).

Many of the new business opportunities for Nigerian firms, he said would depend on the capability of the software industry to responds to the emerging challenging needs and opportunities.

“It will also depend of their capacity to develop new IT-based products, solutions and services which respond to the expanding role of IT across the economy and society.

“Global trend today reveals that both government and the business domain, the organizations which benefit most from the transformative role of Information and Communications Technology are those which treat ICT as a key strategic resource for achieving national plans and organisational goals rather than viewed as a just technical requirement.

“Nigeria is currently responding to these and other software-related challenges by establishing a National Software Policy Framework.

“The nation’s ICT mission and strategy should be the strategic positioning of Software Local Content. Government ICT policy should therefore be entirely focused on software incubation and development and indeed product patronage and the provision grant facilities to the software developer community.”

“The relative importance of software as a source of export revenue and a strategy for enhancing innovation in local companies, improve productivity and government efficiency is like the oxygen of life and the blood than sustains human life” he said.