The Association of Telecommunications Professionals of Nigeria (ATPN) has called on governments to establish Information and Communications Technology (ICT) agencies across the federation.
The association said establishment of the agencies in all 774 local government areas and states would facilitate development of technology.
Mr Williams Adede, President of APTN, disclosed to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
Adede said that ICT had become an integral and accepted part of everyday life for many people in the world, hence the need to establish the ICT agencies.
“This will help the progress of their development goals in the plan to drive ICT policy from the federal level to state level and local government.
“Moreover that we already have the National ICT policy which NITDA is implementing in the country,’’ he said.
He said that lack of ICT coordinating agencies in all the states had constituted one of the biggest challenges in developing the sector.
“As we have commenced the movement of our broadcast from analogue to digital, we really need such agencies in all states of the federation.
“The creation of ICT agency at the state and local government levels is necessary to guide the government in the transitional stage of creating a database through which the proposed agency would perform its monitoring role.
“The establishment of ICT agency in all 36 States of the federation, as well as having ICT units in all the 774 Local Government Local Government areas in the country is imperative if there must be meaningful development in the country,’’ Adede said.
He however urged the 36 state governors including the FCT to establish agencies that would coordinate and professionally manage ICT activities at state and local government levels.
Adede added that ICT had huge potential in providing quality of services in areas such as education, health, commerce and public administration.
