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LCCI hosts first Information Communication expo

By on May 30, 2015

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry recently hosted the first edition of the Information Communication Technology and telecommunications expo.

In his opening speech at the event, the President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Remi Bello, described the expo as the latest LCCI trade promotion product.

He expressed satisfaction with the theme of the expo which was ‘connecting businesses and creating opportunities’ noting that the event was a realisation of a dream of expanding the trade promotion platform of LCCI from the annual Lagos International Trade Fair.

Bello said, “At the inauguration of the present Trade Promotion Board in February 2014, I charged the board with expanding its portfolio and coming up with new avenues to respond to the needs of exhibitors and players in selected sectors. I am happy that the board took this challenge seriously and we are today opening a top-notch business event tagged: 2015 ICTEL expo.

“Nigeria has undergone what has been referred to as an ICT revolution in the last one and a half decade. Since year 2000 when the Federal Government granted the first batch of operating licences to private investors to launch the digital mobile telephone, the entire business landscape has not remained the same.

He added, “Between 2001 and 2004, mobile telephony penetration in Nigeria went up to 82 million subscribers, a record that can compete with any African nation as well as many countries in Europe and Asia.

“Today, the mobile telephony penetration in Nigeria is over 136 million. The astonishing growth still remains a mystery to even the investors as the return on investment completely surpassed all forecasts. Obviously, Nigerians have been deprived of an essential service and once the service was provided, the embrace was total.”

The LCCI president observed that the aftermath of the mobile telephony penetration in Nigeria was the boom in Internet service demand in Nigeria.

He said, “the fact that it was now easy to access the World Wide Web through mobile handsets resulted in unprecedented growth of the broadband. The constraint of electricity supply notwithstanding, about 73 million subscribers in Nigeria use their telephone to connect the Internet.

This on its own confirms the size and potential of technology market in Nigeria.

“Today, virtually all sectors rely on the ICT for all aspects of their operations. From the financial sector, where e-banking is now the vogue, to the agricultural sector, where government now sells fertilizer through mobile phones, to the consumer goods sector where online stores are now all over the Internet space, ICT and Telecommunications have become the backbone of businesses.

“As the foremost private sector body in Nigeria (since 1888), the Lagos Chamber cannot but provide a credible platform such as the ICTEL expo to advance the opportunities and linkages in the world of ICT. We hope to make this event an annual one in order to build economic and commercial bridges across all subsectors and players in the ICT sector.”

 

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