THISDAY, Vol. 16 No. 5785, Page 29
Thursday, February 24, 2011
ICT Competency, Must for Elective Office, Says Zinox hief Executive Officer of the Zinox Group, Chief Leo Stan aeh bas identified basic competencies in infonnation oommunications rechnology (lCI) as a necessary requirement for those seeking elective office in Nigeria. Ekeh, in a keynote address delivered to the African Business Club at the Harvard Business School stressed that any leader today who is not IT savvy was a national security risk to his people and called for a deliberate scheme to be put in place to extend IT training pr0grammes to the main crust of leadership in Africa. He stressed that political parties, the electoral bodies and other regulatory bodies must insist that any leader aspiring for any leadership position in the country have basic competencies in ICf before they can be elected to any leadership position. aeh who stressed that available records had shown that the average age of leadership in Africa was 70 revealed that most African leaders were not ICf-compliant and in effect did not belong to the 21st Century. He identified this lack as the main reason why Africa continues to be undeveloped in spite of its available rich nalunll resoun:es. He said that despite the fact that the continent constituted 14 percent of the world population spread in 54 countries; its underdevelopment can be ttaced to endemic corruption in government and corporate circles. Other factors identified for the underdevelopment included, multiplicity of languages and ethnic groups; poor governance characterized by dictatorships, military regimes, feudal relations and religious bigotry; plagues and diseases, conflicts and wars, and apathy among a majority of her people. Chief aeh who also identified lack of adequate power as the bane of Nigeria's development, noted that the government had made huge investments to increase power genemtion and make distribu-
C
Stories by Efem Nkanga tion more efficient. He urged the Federal Government to keep etteIID' at the top of its priority table, if the development dreams of 20 2020 would be achieved. He said that high cost of internet access in the country wits an impediment in the country and called on the regulators to act deci-
sively to ensure that the cost of internet access was not prohibitive. He also noted that the building of community centers must take a pmminent place on the schedule of Local Governments, ifNigena was to become digitaUy oompliant. He added that local needs must be satisfied and innovations must be nurtured to contribute to national development and security. aeh stressed that unlimited access to information rechnology would create and enhance the pace of national development. He added that the deployment of IT was a potenliaUy effective weapon that could facilitate free and fair elections, good governance, more relevant curriculum in education, more professionalism in the armed forces and generally tmnslate to development of Nigeria.
'Nigeria, Battleground for Mobile Financial Services in 2011' igeria has been identified as a potential battleground for key mobile financial services in 2011. ." Executive Director of Fundamo's Emerging Markets Department, Mrs. Aletha Ling at the just-concluded Mobile World Congress disclosed that Nigeria was next, after the mobile money market' had recorded tremendous success in Kenya, where the launch of mobile banking services by Safaricom called M-Pesa was making waves. She added that Fundamo was working with MTN to launch its MobileMoney service, which she emphasised had aU the ingredIents to become an extremely successful service. At the Congress, leading banks in Nigeria sent their representatives It> shop for more initiatives and innovations to enable them make the mobile money service a success in Nigeria. Ling reitemted that opemtors where critical to the success of the mobile financial services '" market because they own and opemte the infrastmcture that
N
provides
consumers
with
access. She reitemted that operators have been the key contributors and the primary catalysts for mobile financial services. Sbe added that operators have been major contributors to the accelemted growth of the
1.;<\ :':)tf~'.t::,7:t;~~1 industry and will continue to drive that growth. In a related development, a TowerGroup study commissioned by Accenture pic has disclosed that leading-edge banks are earning additional revenue by enabling customers to use mobile devices to tmnsfer mODeY, pay utility bills, and apply for credit or trade stocks, amongst others. The study said banks that invest in sophisticated mobile services can see a return on
investment as high as 300 per cent. According to the study, mobile banking ventures pr0vide lucmtive opportunities for cross-selling and reaching the next genemtion of customers. The study of 10 innovative banks around the world recommended that banks planning to offer advanced mobile services should pmvide a rich, intemctive suite of tools that are convenient and relevant to cus-
tomers. They shoul!! also offer customers the same experience on their smartphones that they have on their laptops. Banks also need to educate customers on how to use
mobile services, keep fees as low as possible and measure customers' usage patterns and
satisfaction rates on a regular basis.
Poverty Reduction: IFAD Advocates Rural Youth Inveshnent
H
ead of the United Nations
International Fund for Agricultural Development (lFAD), Kanayo F. Nwanze, has advocated investing in rural youth in developing countries is vital to eradicating
poverty in those communities and ensuring global food security The !FAD President told delegates to the Fund's annual
meeting, which opened weekend in Rome, that supporting young women and men is critical to building vibmnt rural economies, which in tum is key to overcoming larger chaUenges such as reducing hunger and poverty.
mitigating
climate
change, achieving enelllY security and protecting the environment. "Current events show the
energy, creativity and power of young people, and also the importance of ensuring that they can see a future for themselves in the societies in which they live;' he said at the opening of the !wI?-
By Abimbola Akosile meeting of IFAD's Governing Council. Mr. Nwanze caUed for investing in rural youth and belping them become bener and more successful fanners and business people. "These young people are the next genemtion of farmers, producers and woti<en;;' he said. "Give them the skills and confidence they need to run pmfitable farms or start businesses, and they will become the upstanding citizens and community leaders of tomorrow. "Ignore them, and they will have little option but to leave their homes and -families to search for work in the cities, seeking better lives but oftentimes finding only more misery;' bewamed. day
In most developing countries,
agriculture is already the leading
provider of employment for pe0ple ages 15 to 24, according to !FAD. However, agriculture mrely pmvides a living wage and the sector is typified by low levels of productivity, dangerou. woti< and lack of social protection.
advancing the participatioo of indigenous peoples in !FAD dis, cussions and programmes that have an impact on them. The agency noted that indigenous peoples, who make up onethird of the world's one billion extreme poor in rural areas, are among the most vu1netab1e and marginalized of any group. "Spread over 70 countries and
Rtm!I youth is the main focus of this year's session, which features agricultural and rural development experts, young entrepreneun; from rural areas and youth leaders, and will explore some of the chaUenges faced by rural young people. The meeting took place amid growing concerns about food shortages. In her keynote address to the Governing Council, UN Messenger of Peace Princess Haya AI Hussein called for an urgent and effective global response to food shortages and world hunger, and urged donors to fulfil their commitments to food programmes. Meanwhile, the Fund has announced the establishment of an indigenous peoples' forum
cerns, but also the value that indigenous people in many cases contribute to sustainable agriculture, especially given the rich knowledge and understanding of ecosystem management that they
under its auspices aimed at
have."
representing diverse cultural
backgrounds, they share many common chaUenges such as limited access to healthcare and education, loss of control over lands, displacement and violations of basic human rights;' !FAD stated. "!FAD's special interest in supporting them is based not only on poverty reductio!!, socliJ justice and humanitarian ron-