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IT experts gather to discuss economic impact of internet

By on September 30, 2013

Sponsored by Google Nigeria and supported by the Lagos State Innovating Council, Mobile Monday Nigeria will tomorrow (Monday) in Lagos gather Information Communications experts to discuss the economic impact of internet in the Nigerian market.

Accordingly, the event is part of Google for Entrepreneurs Week which is an annual week celebrating innovators and entrepreneurs around the world.

The Executive Chairman of Mobile Monday Nigeria , Mr. Tomi Davies in a press conference at the weekend to unfold plans for the event told IT Journalists that the Minister of Communications Technology, Mobolaji Johnson, Deepanker Rustagi, General Manager VConnect, Simdul Shagaya, Founder and CEO konga.com, Shina Badaru, Founder, Technology Times Media, Jason Njoku, Co-Founder of Iroko TV and Spark.ng.

Iroko TV , Femi Taiwo, Manager, Technology Services at INITS Limited , Olayinka David-West, Faculty Director at the Pan Atlantic University/Lagos Business School, Olumide Balogun, Partner Manager, Developer Experience, Nokia West & Central Africa among other industry experts will speak at the capacity building forum today.

The Internet, according to him is a tremendous, undisputed force for economic growth and social change.

“The Impact of the Internet in Nigeria” report, he explained gives an insight into how the Internet has facilitated change in different sectors of the Nigerian Economy.

He informed that a representative from Dalberg Research will be available to present the report.

According to him, this report provides detailed assessments of the current and potential impact of the Internet on socio-economic growth across seven sectors: agriculture, education and labor, energy, financial inclusion, governance, health and small and medium enterprise (SME) growth.

He said that it also examines the role that government, private sector and donors have played in building the ecosystem for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) innovation and driving this impact.

He informed that there will be a panel of discussion with some of the leaders in the Nigerian IT Industry giving their own thoughts about the findings of the report.

“Not only has it unleashed new forms of connectivity, but it has also provided an outlet for new forms of innovation, entrepreneurship and social good.

“The Internet has also proven a dynamic tool for stimulating economic growth in developing countries, with the World Bank reporting that a 10% increase in broadband correlates to a 1.38% increase in GDP growth.

“Beyond GDP growth, the Internet also provides opportunities to pursue social and developmental objectives.

“Throughout the developing world, the Internet is connecting remote populations to markets and strengthening the overall efficiency of service delivery in areas such as health, education, livelihoods and financial inclusion, as well as creating access to government services for the most marginalized populations” he explained.

This year, from September 30 – October 4, 2013, Googlers in more than 45 cities around the world will host events including community meetups, mentorship sessions and training workshops. Google’s goal is to equip entrepreneurs with the skills they need to build and scale their businesses. Last year, more than 3000 entrepreneurs attended Google for Entrepreneurs Week events in 29 cities in 14 Countries.

 

 

 

[Vanguard]