by crossriverwatch admin
The Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) has conferred on Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River state, the Information Communication Technology (ICT) Governor of the Year 2013 Award.
Chris Uwaje, President/Chairman of Council ISPON disclosed this at the third National Software Conference and Competition 2013 at the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort, Calabar.
Uwaje disclosed that the award was in recognition of Imoke’s contributions to ICT development in the country.
According to him, apart from sponsoring ISPON conference for three years, Imoke has initiated many ICT driven initiatives in the state including the establishment of IDEA Information knowledge Centre at Tinapa.
He said these numerous initiatives have placed the state above its counterparts in ICT development in the country.
Declaring the two days conference open, Imoke said its theme suggested that delegates would explore means of leveraging on software compatibilities to re- engineer the Nigerian workforce for the emerging knowledge-based global economy.
According to Imoke, “software technology is the prism through which this knowledge can be disseminated, understood and productively deployed for the benefit of our economy and its citizens. Indeed the knowledge economy facilitated by the proliferation of software applications governs perhaps more economic and zonal interactions than we actually realize.’
“The knowledge economy is the next global frontier and governments the world over have been swift to adopt information communication technology in a desire to remain effective -efficient and fit-for purpose to meet the challenge of global competitiveness. We, in Cross River are no different.
“In our efforts to establish our state as a 21st century service driven economy, we quickly recognized the pivotal role of information technology in achieving the aim. As a state we have made significant investments and placed emphasis on science, technology, engineering and mathematics covering all components of primary, secondary, tertiary and technical education.”
He said the state recently introduced e-learning in schools with 10,000 ICT-proficient teachers equipped with Laptops and training support as standard in the school system.
Imoke disclosed that the state has taken several steps to create the technology enabled ecosystem befitting of a premier business and leisure destinations such as Calabar as in few months the metropolis will become the first city in the country that is fully and comprehensively wired by fibre optics, stating that it is a major stimulus for business and commercial interests looking to exploit a competent ICT infrastructure for growth and improved services.
“Alloyed to this is the fact that the government of Cross River is also upgrading its administrative competencies. Our SmartGov CRSG initiative has already reaped significant benefits in terms of cost- efficiencies as well as effectiveness and transparency of government”, the governor said.
He disclosed that the new civil service ID Cards now being issued have also been integrated with a payment grade smartcard system which will enable the workers and citizens to conveniently pay for utilities such as energy and water as well as transport, basic health care and various other government and private sector services, adding that it is the state desire of his administration for Calabar to become the first true smartcity in the country, with Cross River as the national epicenter for ICT development.
Mrs. Omobola Johnson Minister for Communication Technology noted that software has accelerated development as a functional application of working tool and has transformed economies and created jobs, and that innovation programs like faceook and google have boosted communication.
Johnson disclosed that her ministry has established incubation hubs in Lagos and Calabar and it intends to partner with corporate bodies to set the pace for innovation development in ICT, stressing that education is not the opposite of vocation.
She said the partnership with corporate bodies will upgrade the ICT status of the nation to encourage investment and create jobs, adding that there are efforts to develop software locally.
Prof. Emeritus Tapio Varis, UN Chair on e-learning in his key note address, said Nigerian educational institutions can benefit from UN e-learning if they key into the global university system (GUS) by finding and collecting model building and processing data using modern techniques of communication to promote the kinds of education that will advance peace, justice, understanding and human wisdom.
Varis disclosed that there is distinction between academics and vocation and that the world has moved from the industrial age to information age.
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