CITAD hosts ICT Business Forum to address energy needs
The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) organized a one-day ICT Business Forum aimed at bringing together IT professionals, ICT business owners, startups, and youth in the ICT sector to discuss issues related to ICT development in the country.
In a statement issued to newsmen by CITAD’s, Senior Programmes Officer, Isah Garba, he revealed the theme of the August edition of the forum was ‘Addressing the Energy Needs of the ICT Sector.’
Adding that the objectives of this edition includes identifying ICT energy needs for youth employment, examining challenges in the ICT energy sector, and discussing the role of academic institutions in meeting ICT needs.
Isah further explained that during the forum, observations were made, highlighting key issues.
In his words “The outdated power transmission system in the country contributes to poor power supply; The use of diesel to fuel generators is causing environmental pollution and degradation; Abundant renewable energy sources, such as solar power in the northeast and northwest and hydropower in the south, are available”
Other observations according to Garba are the production and maintenance of ICT equipment are not localized as well as Nuclear power plants are considered a potential source of energy for the country.
Garba further explained that participants put forward several recommendations such as: Encouraged the adoption of alternative energy sources like solar and waste energy to address environmental concerns and reduce energy costs
“They also suggested that communication companies allocate a portion of their profits to help Nigerians access alternative energy solutions as well as they Advocated for transparency and accountability in the communication industry to enhance its overall performance” stated Isah.
PRIME TIME NEWS correspondent reports that speakers and panelists were drawn from academia, telecommunications, ICT businesses, and the Nigeria Communications Commission while the participants were from private companies, civil society and IT institutions.
