IT INCUBATION COMMITTEE FAULTS VARSITY CURRICULUM

By Emeka Aginam
The IT Business Incubation Development Centre committee  earlier set up the Ministry of Communication Technology has said that  most of the ICT departments in Nigerian universities were  not updated regularly, resulting in a generally low quality of knowledge among ICT graduates who are potential entrepreneurs.

To improve the quality of the talent pool of potential entrepreneurs the incubators will draw from, the Committee stressed that government needs to align the curricula of ICT programmes in tertiary institutions in the country to  world class modern day standards.

Part of the mandate earlier given to the committee was the development of a sustainable framework for a domestic IT Business Incubation framework that will  not only discover, nurture  and unleash local talent to drive the growth of the ICT industry; but will facilitate the commercialization of research results as well as the acquisition and use of state-of the-art technologies  that will promote domestic resource exploitation and improve the international competitiveness of the Nigerian ICT industry.

The Committee report also recommended a nationwide scope of operations hinged on an initial set of about 6 incubation centers nationwide, to avail deserving aspiring ICT  entrepreneurs access to the incubator without having to relocate their places of abode.

Quality businesses entrepreneurs
Suleiman also disclosed that the report recommends that detailed and rigorous 18-24 month incubation process which will culminate in the development of high quality businesses  entrepreneurs who will be invaluable to existing medium to large businesses in the Nigerian ICT industry.

Meanwhile, the  Minister of Communication Technology. Mrs. Omobola Johnson while commenting on the issue of ICT curriculum in schools advocated by the Committee noted that her ministry was working with the Ministry of Education to ensure that ICT is embedded in the curriculum of schools in the federation.

The committee was set up the CT Ministry  to deliver a sustainable framework to guide the setting up of incubation centers and the provision of  an enabling environment that fosters ICT  innovation from incubation to commercial success  in the country has submitted its report to the Ministry of Communication Technology.

Report to drive growth of the ICT industry.
At the presentation of the report in Abuja last week, the Johnson  with excitement commended  the committee  for the submission of the report,  stressing  that the report would  be  effectively implemented to drive the growth of the ICT industry.

According to her, the  seed capital is critical to implementation and expressed happiness that an agency under the Ministry's purview, NITDA, is supporting the initiative by providing the  seed capital required. Johnson said that the Ministry was looking at ways of having at least 50% value added local content in ICT.