Critical purviews where information and communication technology (ICT) can promote sustainable development in nigeria by adamkolo m.i., 2013

Global Media Journal – Malaysian Edition Volume 4, Issue 1, 2013
ISSN : 2231-9948
111
Critical Purviews Where Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
can Promote Sustainable Development in Nigeria
Adamkolo Mohammed Ibrahim
Fakulti Bahasa Moden dan Komunikasi,
Universiti Putra Malaysia,
Malaysia.
thegdmprince79@gmail.com
Md. Salleh Hj. Hassan, Ph.D
Fakulti Bahasa Moden dan Komunikasi,
Universiti Putra Malaysia,
Malaysia.
md salleh@upm.edu.my
Abstract
Information and communication technology (ICT) has become the buzz word in academia,
government, business, economy and many other social purviews of human society, especially in
the areas of sustainable development. From a mere acronym, ICT has over the last decade
metamorphosed into the driving force behind many monumental changes and innovative
development in the world. The author reviewed e-journal articles, chapters from e-books and
other relevant literature that critically examined ICT and its wider applications in the realms of
making life better for the majority of the people, particularly the indigent and information have-
nots. The paper critically discusses and analyses some of the key areas where a successful
application of ICT can effectively engender the much needed sustainable development in society,
focusing on Nigeria. Moreover, the paper outlines, inter-alia, agriculture, culture, economy,
education, governance and tourism as paramount realms in which the proper application of ICT
can help in the management of natural, human and capital resources for effective utilisation by
the present generation without jeopardising the ability of future generations to benefit from them.
The paper concludes that for ICT to serve as a catalyst for sustainable development, the
following facts should be taken into consideration and adjustments made to accommodate them:
ICT is a long-range investment (outcomes may be delayed); and, for natural resources to be
sustainably harnessed, human resources ought to be adequately mobilised to appropriately
manipulate the capital resources for better results.

ISSN : 2231-9948
112
Keywords: ICT, sustainable development, critical purviews, management of natural, human and
capital resources, Nigeria, Malaysia.
Introduction
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is changing the world dramatically. ICT has
made political, cultural and socio-economic integration much easier and faster than before.
Consequently ICT has ushered us into the much-talked about information age; something
Marshal McLuhan had foreseen since the 1960s which he called the global village, and now
widely referred to as globalization. ICT has made access to knowledge and education
(awareness) much easier and relatively cheaper. Awareness increases people’s chances to be
carried along in the ICT-driven global dynamism. Information poverty or digital divide,
however, impedes people’s access to knowledge and education which unfortunately reinforces
their vulnerability, constraints and challenges. Such constraints and challenges usually thwart the
socio-economic well-being of the people by pushing them into the abyss of exclusion,
powerlessness and penury.
Nigeria is the most populous country on the African continent, according to the United Nations
(UN) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Nigeria. The country is the sixth most
populous nation in the world after China, India, US, Indonesia and Brazil according to the UNFP
Report cited on the Nigerian National Population Commission (NPC) website, with an estimated
population of over 167 million (NPC, 2014). The estimated population growth rate (average
annual percentage) of the country from 2010 to 2015 is 2.5%; its urban growth rate from 2010 to
2015 is estimated at 3.8%; its rural population growth rate (annual average percentage) from

ISSN : 2231-9948
113
2010 to 2015 is 1.3%; its urban population in 2012 was 50.3%; its primary-secondary school
gross enrolment ratios for both male and female per 100 persons in 2012 were 62.0% and 68.9%
respectively; its telephone subscribers per 100 inhabitants in 2011 was 59.0%, while in 2010 it
was 55.8%; and its Internet users per 100 inhabitants in 2011 was 28.4%, while in 2010 it was
55.8% (UN, 2014; UNDP Nigeria, 2012). The country is approximately 923,768 square
kilometres which is equivalent to 356,669 square miles (about the size of California, United
States- US), and the literacy rate is 39%–51% (US Department of State, Nigeria, 2012; UNDP,
Nigeria, 2012). Nigeria is divided into six geopolitical zones, viz., North-east, North-central,
North-west, South-east, South-south and South-west. See appendix for the geopolitical zones.
ICT in Nigeria
Just like in other parts of the developing world, in Nigeria there has been an upsurge in Internet
penetration and the use of ICT particularly in the areas of health, education, business, agriculture,
government/administration, tourism and transportation in the last 15 years (Jimoh, Pate, Lin and
Schulman, 2012). In spite of that, ICT infrastructures in the country may still be regarded as
underdeveloped when compared with other developing countries like South Africa, Malaysia,
Brazil and South Korea. Nigeria’s Internet penetration, for instance, was less than 16% in 2012
according to an online news blog portal, 234next.com (2012) while its Internet broadband
penetration per 100 household was between 4% and 6% (Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan,
2013-2018) which can be regarded as extremely lower compared with Malaysia’s 10.9% in 2006
(UNDP/MDGs Malaysia 2010 Report), 55.6% in 2010 and 67.2% in the third quarter of 2013
(Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission-MCMC, 2013; Department of

ISSN : 2231-9948
114
Statistics, Malaysia, 2013; National Broadband Initiative, Malaysia- NBI, 2014). According to
234next.com, Nigeria had an average broadband download speed of 1.38 Mbps (Megabits per
second) which is very much lower compared to the 10.1 Mbps of the United States (Google
Public Data, 2012), and, according to Internet World Stats- IWS (2014), Nigeria’s broadband
download speed rose to 5.22 Mbps in November, 2013. In June, 2012 there were about 48.4
million internet users in Nigeria which was about 28.4% of the country’s population. In
December, 2012 there were over 6.63 million Facebook users and the country’s Internet
penetration rate was 3.9% (IWS, 2014). In Malaysia, for instance, like in many other “emerging”
developing countries, ICT is rapidly growing. The Malaysian Government is currently
vigorously pursuing its famous national development plan, Malaysia 2020 in which it targets at
least 25% of the country’s population to be ICT-literate by the year 2020.
In Nigeria, the Federal Executive Council approved the National Information Technology Policy
in March 2001 and the implementation started in April with the establishment of the National
Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in charge of the mission to make
Nigeria an ICT-capable country in Africa and a key player in the Information Society, while
using ICT as a catalyst for sustainable development and global competitiveness (ICT4D Nigeria
Annual Report, 2007). In the new policy draft document 2012, the vision and mission statements
of the ICT policy are as follows:
Vision: [To make] Nigeria as a knowledge-based and globally competitive society

ISSN : 2231-9948
115
Mission: To fully integrate Information and Communication Technologies into the socio-
economic development of Nigeria in order to transform the country into a knowledge-based
economy (Federal Ministry of Communication Technology-FMCT, 2012: 10).
The famous long-term strategic development plan of Nigeria, “Vision 20-2020” contains
elaborate goals for the ICT sector. The increasing globalization driven by ICT makes it
imperative for Nigeria as an emerging market to irreversibly consider the application and
promotion of ICT strategy to facilitate its rapid growth and development. This will involve the
development of a vibrant ICT sector to drive and expand the national production frontiers in
agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors. It would also require the application of the new
knowledge to drive other soft sectors: governance, entertainments, public services, media sector,
tourism, etcetera (FMCT, 2012: 10).
Malaysia’s Networked Readiness Indicator (NRI), 2012 indicates that the country ranked 29th
out
of 142 economies, 8th
out of 22 Asia-Pacific economies and 2nd
in the Association of South-East
Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc. Furthermore, based on the 2012 networked readiness index
rankings by the Global Information Technology Report (GITR), with an index score of 4.80 out
of maximum score of 7.00, Malaysia was placed among the top quartile of the world’s most
networked ready economies. However, in 2013 Malaysia’s GITR rank dropped to 30th
placing
but with a little higher score of 4.82 out of 144 countries in the world. In the area of governance,
for example, Malaysia’s use of ICT is rated 6th
in the world (GITR, 2012: xxi). Although
Malaysia is obviously far ahead of Nigeria in ICT development, Nigeria’s ICT status is
undergoing a rapid transformation especially in the area of mobile telecommunication. Nigeria’s

ISSN : 2231-9948
116
networked readiness index ranking is number 113th
with a score of 3.27 out of 144 countries in
2013, and number 112th
with a score of 3.22 out of 142 countries in 2012 (GITR, 2013: xxiii).
Hence it can be said that Nigeria is no longer a laggard as far as ICT is concerned. The
liberalisation of the country’s telecommunication sector in the year 2001 has led to the
emergence of a Nigerian indigenous mobile telecommunication network, “Globacom”. The
company currently provides mobile telecommunication services in the country and therefore, it is
one of the global GSM operators. From 2001 when the mobile telecommunication services began
a considerable penetration into the country, the progress has been monumental. The 2013
Ministerial Report of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Communication Technology (FMCT),
indicates that about 83% of the country’s 166.6 million people, are active mobile phone
subscribers. In 2011 and 2012 it was 68% and 71% respectively. Similarly, the Nigerian
Communications Commission (NCC) indicates that out of the 114.172 million active subscribers
on the global system for mobile telecommunication (GSM) networks in the country, only 34.5
million, which is approximately 39.4%, of them use Internet data and it is expected to rise to
98% by the year 2015. On Internet accessibility and usage the statistics are 29% in 2011, 34% in
2012 and 36% in 2013 and it is expected to rise to 42% in 2015 (BBC, 2013; FMCT, 2013;
NCC, 2013).
Since the last two decades, a lot of dynamic changes have taken place in the areas of socio-
economic, cultural, political and by extension diplomatic and international relations
development. ICT is being envisaged as possessing the potential to transform society and impact
positively on the lives of people, particularly the have-nots. There is quite a lot of literature on
the possibilities of using ICT to alleviate poverty and improve the social and economic status of

ISSN : 2231-9948
117
people. Some of these studies include those conducted by the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2005, Gnaniah, Yeo, Songan, Zen and Ab- Hamid
(2004), etc. Although many of such studies are case studies and therefore, their findings might
not be generalised, there are quite a number of success stories from countries like China, case
study on Wu’an telecentres by Soriano (2007); India, case study on Bellandur Gram Panchayat,
Karnataka telecentres by Dossani, Misra and Jhaveri (2005); Iran, case study on Gharnabad and
East Livan telecenters by Jalali, Okhovvat and Okhovvat (2011); and Malaysia, case study on e-
Bario and e-Bedian ICT projects by Gnaniah, Yeo, Songan, Zen and Ab-Hamid (2004).
People get empowered with information, but when they lack it they often become isolated and
ignorant about their rights and choices. That is to say, they could be lack of the basic knowledge
about the political and developmental processes that shape their lives in society. Singh (2006)
noted that ICT is a powerful tool when used in the right way as part of overall development
strategy. In the same vein, Boating (2007) opined that ICT may not be a panacea to the world’s
problems but it can be a powerful tool to facilitate and enable affordable solutions to basic
human developmental problems. It is widely accepted by intellectuals that ICT has become an
integral part of the social, economic and political paraphernalia of social interactions; hence
countries all over the world are taking to ICT for various developmental initiatives (Moghaddam
and Khatoon-Abadi 2013; Gnaniah, Yeo, Songan, Zen and Ab-Hamid, 2004). As such, it can be
argued that in the 21st
century the role of ICT in transforming the world into a better place for all
(or at least for many) cannot be overemphasised. Nowadays many people especially the poor and
the uneducated more than ever before can have access to basic ICT services like mobile

ISSN : 2231-9948
118
communication, mobile banking, online transactions and sending emails to donor agencies and
receiving instant feedback (Ebeling, 2003).
What is ICT?
Scholars and intellectuals have given rainbow definitions for ICT. It is an acronym that stands
for Information and Communication Technology. “However, apart from explaining an acronym,
there is not a universally accepted definition of ICTs because the concepts, methods and
applications involved in ICTs are constantly evolving on an almost daily basis. It is difficult to
keep up with the changes - they happen so fast” (Riley, 2012: Np.). To understand the concepts
holistically let us fragment it into its component constructs of:
(i) Information
(ii) Communication
(iii) Technologies
As Riley (2012: Np.) puts it:
A good way to think about ICT is to consider all the uses of digital
technology that already exists to help individuals, businesses and
organisations use information. ICT covers any product that will store,
retrieve, manipulate, transmit or receive information electronically in a
digital form, for example, personal computers, digital television,
email[and] robots.
Therefore, it can be said that ICT primarily involves not only the technology per se, but also the
processes of storing, retrieving, manipulating and transmitting or receiving of digital data.

ISSN : 2231-9948
119
Importantly, it is also concerned with the way these different uses can work with each other.
Furthermore, ICT also includes a variety of computing hardware (PCs, servers, mainframes,
networked storage); the rapidly developing personal hardware market comprising mobile phones,
personal devices, MP3 players; the collection of application software from the simple home-
developed spreadsheet to the complex enterprise packages; and, online software services. In
addition, it includes the hardware and software needed to operate networks for transmission of
information as well as the internet which stands out as the major driver of most of the ICT. These
information and Communication Technologies are used for various purposes, including
sustainable development.
The application of ICT to sustainable development efforts is very crucial especially in the realms
of renewable energy, water and environmental conservation and indeed agriculture. What makes
the application of ICT to sustainable development so crucial is that as populations all over the
world are rapidly growing resources are conversely depleting, hence the need for the global
community to redouble effort toward evolving sturdy means of not only judiciously utilising
resources to meet the present needs but also ensuring that the ability of future generations to
meet their needs is not compromised either. Sustainability, however, is not without its challenges
as “the notion of sustainability has led to new insight into the challenges of development where
the process of building alliances and seeking common agendas among stakeholders with
different interests becomes as important as the output itself” (Prabhakar and Basu, 2007: 284).
The World Commission on Environment and Development (The Bruntland Commission) as
cited in Gladwin, Kennelly and Krause (1995: 876) defines sustainable development as the
“development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future

ISSN : 2231-9948
120
generations to meet their own needs.” The question now is how could we facilitate sustainable
development using ICT?
Information may not be a panacea to hunger, poverty, diseases, illiteracy, etc. But the right
information at the right time, however, can bring about sustainable development when used
appropriately with the maximum participation of stakeholders. The intrinsic values of ICT lie not
in easing communication and information but rather in stimulating growth and development
(Gladwin, et al 1995) through the facilitation of virile and smooth socio-economic activities as
well as serving as a catalyst to sustainable development efforts. In a country like Nigeria where a
vast section of the population lives below the poverty line (UNDP, 2012), ICT offers a chance to
empower these people through innovative social development and participatory application of
ICT in agriculture, education, tourism, marketing, health, faith or religion, home management,
governance, and transform them into productive human capital. In Figure 1, I have graphically
illustrated some of the critical areas where ICT can help engender sustainable development in
Nigeria. The lines linking the various boxes are for illustration purposes only.

ISSN : 2231-9948
121
Source: Author
Figure 1: Some critical purviews where ICT can promote sustainable development in Nigeria
ICT and Agriculture
ICT can be utilised to enhance agriculture in order to maximise food production and food
security. ICT can also be used to enhance industrial raw materials by determining suitable
climatic condition, soil type and the production of improved varieties of cash crops and
livestock, for example, rubber, oil palm, sugar cane, cattle, sheep (for their hide, skin, wool, etc)
and poultry. ICT can be applied for the improvement and preservation of agricultural produce at
both the input and output levels. ICT can be used as a tool to ensure that the relevant information
about enhanced farming methods and latest commodity prices reached the farmer on time. This

ISSN : 2231-9948
122
can be achieved through the introduction of innovative agricultural extension services and the
empowerment of agricultural extension staff with the relevant ICT skills and provision of the
necessary ICT devices and facilities like mobile phones, laptops and even telecenters where
necessary, in order to boost their performance in their jobs. Using this technique, the farmers
stand the chance to get better yields and lucrative proceeds from the sales of their produce
directly to buyers without the involvement of middle men. This can be a direct poverty
alleviation strategy. Other areas where online agriculture or e-agriculture may be involved
include digital mapping, land use, soil types, meteorology, ecology and agricultural records
(Munyua, 2000). Thus, the e-agricultural extension staff will be poised to provide prompt and
relevant e-agricultural extension services to his or her clients effectively.
An agricultural database can be developed to provide support for planning, production, storage
and distribution of agricultural produce and other natural resources. This will ensure that farmers
of all types and categories are trained in relevant ICT skills in order to facilitate effective
dissemination of agriculture-related information and ultimately to ensure the effective utilisation
of the information to boost agriculture in, say, using genetic modification technology in
horticulture, animal husbandry, fishery, poultry, crop rotation, mixed cropping and forestry to
ensure food security (Munyua, 2000) and a balanced ecosystem. It can also provide ready access
to comprehensive, up-to-date and detailed knowledge and information, particularly to rural
farmers even though, as Prabhakar and Basu (2007: 30) put it, “the food in-secure may not place
high priority on the development of ICT in their communities, access to such technology could
prove to be vital to their economic development.” The Federal Government of Nigeria while
issuing statistics about the agricultural sector of the country posted on its official web site that:

ISSN : 2231-9948
123
Agriculture has suffered from years of mismanagement, inconsistent and poorly conceived
government policies, and the lack of basic infrastructure. Still, the sector accounts for about 40%
of GDP and two-thirds of employment. Agriculture provides a significant fraction
(approximately 10%) of non-oil growth. Poultry and cocoa are just two areas where production is
not keeping pace with domestic or international demand. Fisheries also have great potential, but
are poorly managed. Most critical for the country's future, Nigeria's land tenure system does not
encourage long-term investment in technology or modern production methods and does not
inspire the availability of rural credit (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2014).
Certainly, the Nigerian agricultural sector has suffered years of neglect. Some of the challenges
bedevilling the sector in relation to the use of ICT include less than 19% of individuals in sub-
Saharan Africa (including Nigeria) could read a newspaper at least once per week, with a much
smaller percentage in rural areas. Landline or fixed telecommunication coverage is limited, with
less than one landline subscriber per 1,000 people in 2008 according to International
Telecommunications Union - ITU (2009) and Egbule, Ague and Uzokwe, (2013: 24). Access to
other communication facilities such as fax machines, computers for e-mail and Internet, is
similarly low, primarily due to their dependence upon landline infrastructure (Egbule, et al
2013). Another key challenge is having to travel personally in order to get information about,
say, modern farming techniques, improved seedlings; or make inquiries about current market
prices of commodities and, it not only involves transport costs but also the opportunity costs of
an individual’s time stressed. In other words, the time taken to accomplish a simple task is often
unnecessarily extended; resulting in loss of opportunities that otherwise, could have been
averted. According to Egbule, et al (2003), “This can be substantial in the context of unpaved

ISSN : 2231-9948
124
roads and vast distances” [which characterise most developing countries, especially Nigeria]
(Egbule, et al 2013: 24).
ICT and Culture
A social phenomenon through which a society can excel in a unique way is culture. The United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) say that, “In today’s
interconnected world, culture’s power to transform societies is clear. Its diverse manifestations-
from our cherished historic monuments and museums to traditional practices and contemporary
art forms – enrich our everyday lives in countless ways” (UNESCO, 2014). A society’s ability to
preserve and promote its culture is another facet of development. The global scenario today is
such that the information-rich, or ICT superpowers use the technologies to promote their culture
beyond the borders of their nations; indeed globally. That means future generations will be able
to appreciate their cultural heritage. ICT-backed facilities can be used to document cultural
practices such as folklores, dance, music and other facets of everyday human life through the
media. Broadcast genres like soap operas, situation comedies or sitcoms, musical shows and
documentaries provide ample opportunities for people to appreciate the aesthetics of culture. The
media (which are of course components of ICT) can even serve as an avenue for marginalised
groups or minorities to unfold and reach out to the wider society through the promotion of their
traditional practices, beliefs, artefacts, norms and values.
Nigeria is a multi-cultural society with over 250 ethnic groups. The major tribes are Hausa-
Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo 18%, Ijaw 10 %, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5% and Tiv 2.5% living as
a nation (The World Factbook, 2013). In a diversified society like Nigeria, cultural events are a

ISSN : 2231-9948
125
very good means of re-strengthening the bond of unity in diversity among its peoples. In all the
nooks and crannies of the country, culture stands out prominently. In the North, for example
there is a traditional horse-riding pageantry popularly known as Durbar Festival. It is usually
organised periodically by traditional emirate councils during annual religious festivities like Eid-
el-Kabir, Eid-el-Adha and other important anniversary celebrations. The most famous of all the
Durbar Festivals is probably the one organised by the Kano Emirate Council in the ancient city
of Kano, showcasing the rich and flamboyant regal and cultural pomp and prowess of the Emir
of Kano. In addition, there is the famous annual Argungu Fishing Festival celebrated annually in
Zamfara State. These cultural events are of international fame and therefore, could be a very
strong and sustainable means of revenue generation not only for the individual states within
which the celebrations take place but also the country as a whole. Furthermore, other annual
cultural events of international reputation include the Eyo Festival in Lagos, South-western
Nigeria, the Calabar Carnival in the South-south, the Abuja Carnival, in the Federal Capital City
of Nigeria and the Atilogwu Dance in Enugu, South-eastern Nigeria to mention but a few.
Now, the question to ask here is, in addition to the promotion and preservation of culture what
more significant roles could ICT play in culture? As stated earlier, ICT can play the roles of
projecting (creating an identity for), promoting (showcasing), preserving and globalising culture.
Significantly, however, the mass media which are envisaged as part and parcel of ICT can,
through status conferral elevate the status of a culture (or a particular aspect of a culture) over
time, to global level and consequently render it a global culture. Lazarsfeld and Merton 2007)
believe that as part of their functions, the mass media (ICT inclusive) do raise the status of an

ISSN : 2231-9948
126
individual, organisation or group (culture is inherently part and parcel of them) to certain levels
through status conferral.
Common experience as well as research testifies that the social standing of persons or social
policies is raised when these command favourable attention in the mass media. In many quarters,
for example, the support of a political candidate or a public policy by the Times is taken as
significant, and this support is regarded as a distinct asset for the candidate or the policy….
Why….For some, the editorial views of the Times represent the considered judgment of a group
of experts, thus calling for the respect of laymen. But this is only one element in the status-
conferral function of the mass media, for enhanced status accrues to those who merely receive
attention in the media, quite apart from any editorial support…. The mass media bestow prestige
and enhance the authority of individuals and groups by legitimising their status. Recognition by
the press or radio or magazines or newsreels testifies that one has arrived, that one is important
enough to have been singled out from the large anonymous masses, that one's behaviour and
opinions are significant enough to require public notice (Lazarsfeld and Merton, 2007: 235).
For example, Western (or American) popular culture can arguably be said to have been
globalised by the Hollywood movie industry. In recent decades ICT can be said to have enabled
Hollywood to globalise American culture even farther. Although lately, ICT has also given many
(previously information-poor) societies the opportunity to produce and market their own local
popular culture and consume less of American cultural products. Decades ago, however, Harold
Laswell (1948) provided an answer to this question. One of the three famous functions of the
mass media he mentioned is spreading cultural heritage from one generation to another. This

ISSN : 2231-9948
127
refers to the capacity of the mass media, in this case ICT (which is certainly part and parcel of
the mass media) of transmitting values, norms, lifestyles and customs through different periods
of time and among different groups. ICT can, therefore, play enormous roles in culture,
especially in the realms of promotion - through advertisements and other forms of publicity via
the broadcast or print media as well as other electronic and digital multimedia channels, devices,
museums and even libraries.
Also, ICT can help preserve and propagate cultural heritages by archiving and disseminating
information about important historical and cultural events (Ekwelem, Okafor and Ukwoma,
2011). Williams (2001) observed that preservation of cultural heritage resources is essential to
sustainable development. Therefore, arguably, ICT possesses the capacity to do that to the letter.
The Internet, for instance, could be a veritable platform for the promotion, dissemination and
preservation of people’s cultural heritages. Properly ICT-managed cultural heritages arguably
stand a better chance of boosting the country’s tourism industry, thus providing additional
income sources for the Government. The two local home movie industries in Nigeria,
Kannywood and Nollywood, located in the Northern and Southern parts of the country
respectively are another significant cultural purview where ICT has been playing a very crucial
role in cultural and socio-economic development of the people, particularly the youth. The works
of arts by actors and actresses in the industries are promoted and marketed online – via You
Tube, Facebook, Twitter, etc. So people can easily purchase an art product online, watch a home
video movie and listen to or watch popular music on their mobile devices (Moudio, 2013).

ISSN : 2231-9948
128
ICT and Economic Empowerment
Poverty and high rate of unemployment are obviously some of the problems bedevilling Nigeria
and most other developing countries (UNDP, 2013). Arguably the economy is the backbone of
every nation’s existence. With more mouths to feed and meagre resources to cater for the needs
of the teeming population, ICT can provide nations with ample opportunities for poverty
alleviation. Such small and medium-scale entrepreneurships like running internet cafes, selling
mobile phones and their accessories, selling and servicing digital satellite equipment, selling and
servicing computers and their accessories, and working as computer network technicians are
some of the areas where the judicious application of ICT can help bring about positive changes
in the lives of people. ICT also provides a platform for Governments, international organisations
and the private sector to promote the benefits of international trade online via e-business, e-
commerce, e-banking, e-transactions and e-shopping for household utilities.
Considering Nigeria’s huge human and natural resources, it can be said to possess the capability
to tap the huge opportunities offered by ICT for development, especially with the high rate of
poverty among its people. According to the World Bank (2011), UNDP Nigeria (2012) and BBC
News Africa (2013) the poverty rate in the country is 62.6%, per capita income is US $1280,
human development index (HDI) is 0.47 and life expectancy is 52 years for men and 53 years for
women. ICT can not only help farmers sell and get better prices for their produce, but also
provide opportunities for youths to do online trade and business. It can also serve as a platform
for artists, craftsmen and craftswomen, fashion designers, artistes, teachers and students to
improve their respective entrepreneurship.

ISSN : 2231-9948
129
Tourism is another socially attractive and economically lucrative area that can get the best out of
ICT initiatives. Many tourist destination nations have been able to showcase and promote their
tourism attractions to the global community online in extremely appealing ways more than ever
before. Countries like Egypt, Kenya and Tanzania derive a large share of their national income
from tourism which, in this era, is substantially promoted through the Internet and provides
ample employment opportunities for the populace. In addition to boosting international business,
ICT creates ample room for local entrepreneurs to promote their businesses by utilising available
relevant information to solve their problems. This can be achieved when the atmosphere is
conducive for ICT; the Government is largely responsible for that, and an e-government could be
in a better position to facilitate such an atmosphere more effectively. Access to relevant
information has been identified as one of the main challenges facing local entrepreneurs and that
they lack information in three key areas which are:
(i) Demand: information on new and existing customers.
(ii) Finance: information on how to get more capital for the business.
(iii) Skills: information on how to get more/better technical know-how for the
business.
These are problems that can be solved using ICT by making the relevant information available
timely to entrepreneurs (Heeks, 2002; Singh, 2006).
ICT and Education
The role of ICT in education cannot be underestimated. The application of ICT in education,
commonly referred to as e-education, may be in areas like distance learning, teacher training,

ISSN : 2231-9948
130
adult education, technical and vocational education, teacher and student networking, and
primary, secondary, tertiary and even kindergarten education. For instance, audio-visual aided
teaching and learning can go a long way in imparting comprehensive or “3-D” knowledge to
learners. In Malaysia, the application of ICT to teaching and learning has been firmly rooted.
That arguably could have been one of the major reasons Malaysian universities and other
institutions of higher learning are becoming the cynosure of learning and researching not only to
people from many developing countries but also to students, candidates and intellectuals from
developed countries. In Nigeria for example, the Federal Ministry of Education has made a giant
stride in this direction with the following ICT-driven (mostly tertiary educational) programmes:
the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) programme, the Distance Learning programme
(unfortunately the distance learning programme is merely distance by name in many of the
institutions that run it because students have to attend classes and nothing ICT-related is involved
in the teaching and learning processes), Computer in Schools Initiative, Nigerian Universities
Network, the National Teachers’ Institute programme (teacher training programme through
distance learning) and the National Virtual Library Project. The primary objective of these
programmes is to use the ICT-driven approach to improve the efficiency, quality and delivery of
education at all levels of the educational system.
In its efforts to develop the ICT sector of the country, the Nigerian ICT Centre, in 2010, provided
internet access to higher institutions which paved the way for the institutions to launch their web
sites and portals. According to IT and Telecom Digest (2012), each of the 36 states of the
country benefited from an ICT centre well equipped with computers, a Very Small Aperture
Terminal (V-SAT) and related ICT equipment aimed at improving teaching and learning for both

ISSN : 2231-9948
131
students and teachers. The Government has also planned to establish ICT centres that can offer
24-hour services which could be accessed by more than 20,000 students concurrently.
Furthermore, the Federal government through the ICT Centre also provides scholarships to
successful candidates who are willing to study for Master’s or PhD in ICT-related fields. In
2011, it provided scholarships to 37 Master’s (one per each state and the Federal Capital
Territory, FCT, Abuja) and six PhD candidates, one from each geo-political zone in the country.
In the previous year, however, the Government sponsored two candidates per state. The National
ICT Centre, Abuja also provides e-learning facilities for the training of Nigerians, especially the
youth, in ICT skills and literacy in fields like Cisco, Microsoft Certificated areas, D-Link and
other self-tutoring areas. Candidates and students use such centres among other things, to check
their Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination results download materials
for their studies and assignments and browse the Internet for social media interaction. Other e-
services provided at such centres include e-marketing, e-business, etc. (IT and Telecom Digest,
2012).
The prospects and benefits of ICT in education are unquantifiable. In addition to the numerous
theoretical as well as practical or physical uses and benefits of ICT mentioned in the previous
sections, Idewor, Imhonopi and Urim (2014) have enumerated some more of ICT benefits,
particularly in education. According to them the use of ICT in education has become a modus
vivendi for modern teaching and learning in Nigerian schools and higher institutions of learning.
Gradually the physical classroom is being replaced, or at least supplemented by the virtual
classroom online; blackboard is being replaced or supplemented by whiteboard and PowerPoint

ISSN : 2231-9948
132
audio-visual facilities which enrich pedagogy. Other benefits and applications of e-education
according to them include:
1. Email: Many academicians and students now greatly rely on email service to
communicate and exchange vital information without having necessarily to meet face-to-
face.
2. Online Peer Review: Recently, peer review, which is an important process or activity that
enhances the quality of research and academic works, has been digitalised. With the help
of e-peer review service a junior researcher, for instance, can send draft copies of his or
her works electronically to the email addresses of his or her senior colleague/experienced
researcher for review. This process is cost and time effective. Thus by using electronic
peer review process nowadays, collaborative research activities between Nigerian
scholars and scholars in other countries from around the world has been made easier.
3. Digitisation of academic activities: As part of Government policy for a robust e-education
and green environment in the country, higher educational institutions in Nigeria have
been charged to adopt the culture of digitising their activities and operations in line with
global trends. Consequently, higher institutions of learning nowadays process their
admissions online. Similarly, e-communication channels are gradually replacing face-to-
face communication processes and these make for speed, ease and time-saving
advantages. Digital papers are replacing physical papers, which occupy space and create
an environmental eyesore when improperly disposed of. Also, physical libraries are
gradually giving way to e-libraries. Thus, higher education in Nigeria is not left behind in
this regard.

ISSN : 2231-9948
133
4. Websites: Most, if not all, higher educational institutions in Nigeria have at least a
website of their own which contains their corporate information and other details.
Through their websites, higher institutions are able to communicate and interact with
their students and staff and meet the needs of other stakeholders. Furthermore, websites
have become marketing tools for higher institutions of learning in addition to the
traditional media where they advertise their various programmes and disciplines for
prospective students and other clients (Idewor et al, 2014: 359-360).
ICT and Environment
The world has always been faced with one environmental challenge or another. The most widely
spoken about and one of the most devastating is climatic change due to global warming brought
about by the greenhouse gas effect, particularly in the developed societies. The fear is that the
unindustrialised countries in Africa, Asia and other parts of the developing world seem to suffer
the effects more than the industrialised societies which are the sources of most of the world’s
greenhouse gases. Moreover, population explosion and diminishing resources seem to be posing
serious threats to such poor nations, particularly Nigeria. According to the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD, 2014) as cited in Rural Poverty Portal (2014):
…as the population swells and puts pressure on diminishing resources, escalating environmental
problems further threaten food production. Land degradation as a result of extensive agriculture,
deforestation and overgrazing are already severe in many parts of the country. Drought has
become common in the north, and erosion caused by heavy rains, floods and oil pollution is a
major problem in the south and south-east (Rural Poverty Portal, 2014).

ISSN : 2231-9948
134
Permit me to use the cliché that information is power. Yes, the right information at the right time
can help a great deal in alerting nations to manage their environmental challenges. One of the
ICT-driven technologies that are used today to manage, for instance, occurrences of natural
disasters and other environmental hazards is the early warning system. Thus environmental
degradation like desert encroachment (especially in northern Nigeria), flooding and erosion
(especially in southern Nigeria), and disasters like the tsunami, earthquakes, landslides,
rainstorms, air pollution etc., in many parts of the world can be greatly managed – controlled and
or prevented. This can be achieved through shrewd and prudent application of ICT using, for
example, the Internet, Global System for Mobile Telecommunication (GSM) among others to
create awareness about approaching dangers and how to minimise environmental abuse and
degradation. Even the everyday TV genre of weather forecasts which uses meteorological
technology can help manage environmental pollution. That is to say, ICT could help reduce a
community’s vulnerability to disasters and increase chances of saving lives and property from
destruction through pre-disaster warnings, post-disaster interventions, sustainable natural
resource management, weather-based crop insurance, etc. Some of the major environmental
threats which could be said to have contributed toward the impediment of Nigeria's development
include land degradation, deforestation, drought and desertification, erosion, environmental
pollution, an ineffective and inefficient waste management system and climate change.
One of the most advanced applications of ICT in environmental management and development
are the Earth-orbiting satellites. According to Cawthorne, Beard, Carrel, Richardson and Lawal
(2008: 1) between 2002 and 2005 five satellites of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC)
were launched and one of them was NigeriaSat-1, Nigeria’s first satellite which was launched on

ISSN : 2231-9948
135
23 September, 2003. The successful launching of these satellites has given the assurance of the
social, economical, political and technological values of Earth- imaging using small cost-
effective satellites. The Nigerian National Space Research and Development Agency
(NASRDA) have also commissioned its first operational high-performance Earth Observation
system, NigeriaSat-2 which was initially billed for launching in 2009. It was, however, launched
on 17 August, 2011. The main aims of launching the satellite include:
(i) to support food supply, security, agricultural and geological applications;
(ii) to support mapping and security applications;
(iii)to support development of national GIS infrastructure; and
(iv)to provide continuity and compatibility with NigeriaSat-1 system
(Andrew, et al 2008: 1-2).
ICT and Governance
Good governance is a key factor to development as it is to democracy. The conception, adoption
and implementation of developmental strategies are tied to governance. The provision of social
amenities and the creation and management of the atmosphere conducive for societal growth and
development are also tied to governance. In fact, government is all about management:
management of the citizenry, management of resources, management of population, management
of the economy and by and large management of good governance. For example, a good
standard of living, good health, good education, food security and sustainable food production
do, to a large extent, determine how viable a government is and how successful it will be in
satisfying the needs, yearnings and aspirations of its citizens.

ISSN : 2231-9948
136
Good governance entails providing and sustaining the essential needs of citizens through, inter
alia effective administration. This can be facilitated through proper use of ICT to development
purviews like electoral processes, fiscal probity/auditing, proactive public forums which enable a
higher civil society and citizens’ participation in decision-making and policy formulation about
matters that affect them, publicising government policies and programmes, communication of
citizens and a free press. Governance via ICT or e-governance is becoming popular across the
world. Governments therefore, need to implement e-government strategies focusing on
applications aimed at promoting innovation and transparency in public administration and
democratic processes, as well as improving efficiency and strengthening relations with the
citizenry (CODIST, 2009). At present the Nigerian Government has adopted e-letters, e-
company registration (e-Corporate Affairs Commission- CAC) services), e-national forum, e-
passport (e-immigration services), e-drivers’ licence (e-Federal Road Safety Corps- FRSC)
services), e-drug registration (e-National Food, Drugs Administration and Control- NAFDAC)
services (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2014), among others as some of the key administrative
purviews where the application of ICT does improve service delivery and performance, thereby
boosting the efficiency of governance for social well-being and revenue generation for the
Government.
According to Iyanda, Ogundele and Oyedemi (2014: 3), “e-governance is the use of information
and communication technologies to support good governance.” Arguably therefore, the
opportunities that ICT offers through e-governance to spur development are enormous.
Explaining some technicalities concerning ICT in e-governance, Iyanda, et al (2014: 3) stressed
that the key characteristics of all e-governance projects are that the number of users of the system

ISSN : 2231-9948
137
could be enormous and eventually, the number of applications could also probably increase “in
direct proportion.” In e-governance, the significance of information management cannot be
overemphasised. In addition, networking, security/passwording, ethics/legal backings as well as
proper integration of all the facilities must be ensured and specifications of modus operandi of
the system strictly adhered to ensure maximum and qualitative output with minimum risks or
losses. Worthy of note is that the key benefits of e-government include improved government
efficiency, convenience and better accessibility of public services for all (Iyanda, 2014).
ICT and Health
Healthy people form a healthy nation. Productivity and sustainable development are intertwined;
and both cannot be achieved without a healthy population. Therefore, health is a key
development factor. Hence developing an ICT-based health care system can help enhance
qualitative health care delivery to the people. ICT is applied in such purviews as telemedicine,
teleradiology, monitoring and responding to disease outbreaks (e.g., the use of ICT to combat
serious national health threats such as HIV/AIDS and leprosy, guinea worm, physical disabilities
etc), by communicating useful medication tips about how to control or manage and prevent the
occurrence of the scourge. This can be achieved through online conferences, social media and
the Internet. Also, networking health care to collate information, sharing data and
communicating online, full internet connectivity (e.g., WI-FI, broadband) and accessibility for
health care professionals at all levels boost public health. Some Civil Society Organisations
(CSOs) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) complement government efforts toward
provision, servicing and maintenance of e-health equipment and facilities, especially in
developing countries like Nigeria. In collaboration with the United Nations Children and

ISSN : 2231-9948
138
Educational Fund (UNICEF) for instance, Nigeria’s Midwifery Services Scheme (MSS) supplied
ICT facilities such as computers, mobile phones and solar panels to about 200 health facilities
(out of over 10,000) in the country to complement the efforts of the Government toward fighting
maternal and child mortality in the country (Jimoh, et al., 2012).
The Federal Government of Nigeria is currently undertaking major reforms in the health sector
of the country with the aim of providing effective and affordable health care services to the
citizenry. Just like there are three tiers of government, or three tiers of education, so also the
health sector comprises three tiers. According to Hassan, Ahmed and Dogo (2013: 182) the three
tiers are primary, secondary and tertiary health care systems. According to them the Nigerian
health sector is faced with several challenges in delivering health care services to the people,
especially in the primary health care system where the beneficiaries are mostly remote and rural
dwellers. These rural dwellers make up 70% or more of the Nigerian population and have no
adequate access to qualified medical personnel. With these many inadequacies coupled with a
growing demand for improved healthcare system, the government in its health sector reforms
adopted the use of e-health in the form of telemedicine to tackle the numerous challenges of
medical health care delivery in the country. What is telemedicine? Hassan, et al (2013: 182-183)
defined it as the “use of electronic sensor devices and wireless communication [ICT] to deliver
healthcare support services when participants [health personnel and patients] are separated by
distance”. Furthermore, the Government is considering the use of biosensors in monitoring
patients with critical ailments.

ISSN : 2231-9948
139
ICT, Human and Natural Resources Development
A well-endowed human capital goes beyond having a hardworking, dedicated and diligent
manpower. In the information era, these qualities though sine qua non are arguably not sufficient
to ensure sustainable development. Furthermore, it can be argued that with the emergence of
highly competitive production economies, the key for rapid and sustainable development lies in
building a knowledge-based society. The challenge, however, is how to use ICT for the creation
of new knowledge for all human endeavours.
Nigeria is blessed with abundant natural resources. Petroleum has been the major source of
government revenue and chief mineral resource in the country. Apart from petroleum, however,
which is largely found on the coastal regions of the country, there are other abundant non-oil,
solid natural resources like iron ore, gypsum, limestone, gold, etc that, if properly harnessed,
could boost the economy of the country. Using ICT as a tool can help the government in the
exploration, extraction and processing of those abundant untapped resources efficiently,
sustainably and at relatively lower costs. For instance, instead of relying on manual exploration
and extraction (mining) of the resources which may constitute a huge danger to the environment
as well as to the well-being of the workers, in addition to being time and cost ineffective, using
ICT-driven equipment to carry out those activities could be economically, environmentally and
even socially more appropriate and viable. Another critical realm that ICT could be harnessed for
sustainable development is defence and law enforcement using technologies such as closed-
circuit television (CCTV), trackers and mobile phones.

ISSN : 2231-9948
140
ICT and Rural Development
The United Nations, according to Tersoo (2014: 27-31), defines rural development as, “A
strategy designed to transform rural life by extending to the masses of the rural population the
benefits of economic and social progress.” From that definition, it can be understood that the UN
stresses a fundamental principle, which is the process through which equitable access to
resources, imputes, services and participation in the design and implementation of rural
development programmes can be made available to the rural populace.” The Nigerian Ministry
of Agriculture, in January 2014, said that the country spends N1.3 trillion (one-point-three
trillion Naira, which is approximately more than US $8.2 billion) in a year on the importation of
basic food items such as fish, rice and sugar. Currently Nigeria is the second largest importer of
rice in the world. The country consumes 2 million metric tons of rice per year (Murdoc, 27 April,
2012).
With all these huge statistics of importation of food Nigeria stands an enormous chance to
develop its agricultural sector, reduce the importation of food items, ensure food self-sufficiency
and food security, reduce hunger and poverty as well as develop its rural areas if the country
would invest heavily in e-agriculture and e-rural development. According to the findings of a
study by Tersoo (2014) about 80% of Nigerians live in rural areas. They are predominantly poor
farmers and fishermen and 90% of them are illiterate. Tersoo (2014) pointed out that most of the
poor in Africa live in rural areas and that the poverty rate is high in the continent because of its
(Africa’s) failure to replicate the Asian Green Revolution (Tersoo, 2014: 27-31).

ISSN : 2231-9948
141
The Nigerian Government has made a concerted effort to bring down the level of the urban-rural
digital divide and raise Internet and broadband penetration in the country. The country’s ICT
Centre provides an insight into that. An excerpt culled from IT and E-Digest (2012) online news
site states: In 2007, the Government under its ICT Centre came out with a programme aimed at
providing Internet penetration in rural areas, known as the Rural Information Technology
Centres. Those centres provide the framework for providing internet access to the rural and other
information disadvantaged areas. Currently, Nigeria has more than 240 of such centres spread
across the country and most of them conduct Internet training. In fact the centres render a lot of
ICT services to clients such as obtaining information on population control statistics, death
statistics, rural agricultural production statistics, do-it-yourself tips and others.
Conclusion
Sustainable development has emphatically been identified by intellectuals and experts as a safe
haven of survival and existence on our planet Earth, particularly in this era when both natural
and man-made actions are depleting resources at more alarming rates than they could be
renewed, recycled or replaced. However, sustainable development cannot be achieved without a
veritable tool that could pave the avenue for the facilitation of local, national and global
partnership for a synergy toward a safer world for all to live. With its unfathomable
profoundness (in terms of knowledge creation, information and opportunities) and its
formidability (in terms of the overwhelming power to compress the world into a “village”), ICT
possesses the capability to promote sustainable development practices in our societies through
the dissemination of information about disasters, erosions, desertification, floods, drought, etc.
with the help of ICT experts who could predict with near-accuracy where disasters are likely to

ISSN : 2231-9948
142
occur, why they are likely to occur, how they would occur and proffering possible measures on
how to manage them. Therefore, this paper argues that the goal of developing the human and
technological potential of any society cannot be achieved effectively unless the society adopts
ICT-driven development strategies, especially in an information era like ours.
Obviously there are challenges in Nigerian society, for example, the gender issue. In large parts
of the country, the female person is not allowed to enrol in schools, or attain a certain level of
education, or engage in some kinds of businesses or work in an organisation due to cultural
reasons. By implication this could mean that nearly half of the population of the country could be
deprived of the power to contribute toward national development. However, with the advent of
the Internet and subsequently development of ICT coupled with accessibility and ubiquity,
individuals and groups can get a great deal of exposure and enlightenment about issues around
them. Sometimes these can be a source of social emancipation to people, particularly those living
in highly traditional and conservative societies. In addition, the UN and its agencies together
with NGOs and CSOs have been proactively mobilising resources in collaboration with the
various levels of government in the country advocating for a gender-friendly education policy
and legislation. The primary roles ICT has been playing in this realm are those of publicity,
enlightenment and sensitisation, particularly at the grassroots level through radio, TV, mobile
phones, the Internet, etc. at a faster rate.
Worthy of note is that ICT is often regarded as the exclusive preserve of the elites and the
affluent members of society. By and large, ICT gadgets are usually exorbitantly expensive to
procure, maintain and repair. ICT applications seem to be out of reach of the economically poor.

ISSN : 2231-9948
143
Moreover, the source of power and connectivity are issues in many locations and contents are
often not locally relevant. To crown it all, language barriers, illiteracy and media (ICT) illiteracy
are more deterring challenges and problems that hamper the effective utilisation of ICT for
sustainable and participatory sustainable development.
To face those challenges squarely, it requires commitment by the stakeholders, the Government,
NGOs and beneficiaries. Arguably, the entire efforts for ICT and sustainable development
revolve around users’ acceptance, accessibility, affordability and usage, and the implementers’
(government/ NGOs) access to funds and infrastructural facilities. It also involves the
stakeholders’ responsibility for scalability and both stakeholders’ and beneficiaries’
responsibility for sustainability and maintenance. That is to say, to make ICT work for
sustainable development, it requires affordable, market-driven infrastructures and multi-
stakeholder efforts at all levels to help the poor, the disadvantaged and the marginalised
members of society benefit from ICT interventions according to their priorities and demands.
Besides the creation and delivery of services, the key to success is acceptance by the end user.
For instance, if the end user cannot afford to pay for the access, or the use of data the access may
provide, the system could fail. Access must be provided affordably, both in terms of
infrastructure and applications.
Fundamentally, however, for ICT to serve as a catalyst for sustainable development, the
following facts should be taken into consideration and adjustments made to accommodate them:
ICT is a long-range investment (outcomes may be delayed); and for natural resources to be
sustainably harnessed, the human resources ought to be adequately mobilised to appropriately

ISSN : 2231-9948
144
manipulate capital resources for affirmative outcomes. Stakeholders can employ low-cost and
low-powered technology that can sustainably develop both rural and urban societies.
Furthermore, ICT projects, such as telecentres need to be properly administered and monitored
for wholesome outcomes; the design of the system and user interface should be suitable to the
target users.

ISSN : 2231-9948
145
References
BBC News Africa. Accessed on 5 June, 2013, 13:09pm.
Boating, K.O. (2007). “ICT for sustainable development: What it is not”. Paper presented at
the Euro-Africa ICT Group Meeting, Brussels, on 27 September 2012.
Cawthorne, A., Beard, M., Carrel, A., Richardson, G. and Lawal, A. (2008). Launching 2009, the
NigeriaSat-2 mission: High performance earth observation with a small satellite. 22nd
annual AIAA/USU conference on small satellite. SSC08-III-7. Pp. 1-2. Available at
http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1368&context=smallsat
Retrieved on 9 February 2014.
CODIST (28 April 2009). The first session of the Committee on Development Information,
Science and Technology: Analysis of Country Reports on WSIS Action Lines 7- 8-9,
Addis Ababa, CODIST.
Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2010. Population distribution and basic demographic
characteristics 2010. Pp. 2 and 155. Available at www.statistics.gov.my/ Retrieved on
24 January, 2014.
Dossani, R., Misra, D.C. and Jhaveri, R. (2005). Enabling ICT for rural India. In Asia-Pacific
research center, Stanford University and National Informatics Center, India.
Available at http://iis-db.stanford.edu/pubs/20972/ict_full_oct05.pdf Retrieved
on 1 February, 2014.
Ebeling, M. (2003). The new dawn: Black agency in cyberspace. Radical History Review.
Edewor, P.A., Imhonopi, D. and Urim, U.M. (2014). ICTs and sustainable development of
higher education in Nigeria: Rewriting the ugly narrative. In Journal of educational and
social research, 4:1. Pp. 359-360. Rome, Italy: MCSER Publishing. Also available at
http://www.mcser.org/journal/index.php/jesr/article/viewFile/1854/1853 Retrieved on 8
February, 2014. DOI:10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n1p357, ISSN: 2240-0524.
Egbule, C.L., Agwu, A.E. and Uzokwe, U.N. (2013). Availability and use of mobile phones
for information dissemination by public extension agents in Delta State, Nigeria. In
Journal of agricultural extension, 17:2, P. 24. Available at
http://www.ajol.info/index.php/jae/article/viewFile/99380/88672 Retrieved on
February, 2014. ISSN: 1119-944X.

ISSN : 2231-9948
146
Ekwelem, V.O., Okafor, V.N. and Ukwoma, S.C. (2011). Preservation of cultural heritage: The
strategic role of the library and information science professionals in South East Nigeria.
In Library philosophy and practice. University of Nigeria, Nsukka. ISSN: 1522-0222.
Also available at http://unllib.unl.edu/LLP and
http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/ekwelem-okafor-ukwoma.htm Retrieved on
8 February, 2014.
Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2014. Economy. Available at
http://www.nigeria.gov.ng/index.php/2012-10-29-11-05-46/economy Retrieved on 1
February, 2014.
Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2014. Nigeria Natural Resources. Available at
http://www.nigeria.gov.ng/2012-10-29-11-05-46/2012-11-05-09-52-15 Retrieved
FMCT Report (2013). Ministerial report of the Federal Ministry of Technology of
Nigeria. Retrieved from www.nigeriacomputers.com/wp-content/ Retrieved on August
14, 2013.
FCMT (2012). National information and communication technology (ICT) final draft policy.
P. 10. Retrieved from http://www.nitda.gov.ng/downloads/NEW_ICT_Policy.pdf
Retrieved on 8 February, 2014.
GITR Report, 201.3 The networked readiness index rankings. In Bilbao-Osorio, B., Dutta, S. and
Lanvin, B. (Eds.), The global information technology report 2013: Growth and jobs in a
hyperconnected world. Geneva, Switzerland: World Economic Forum. P. xxi. Retrieved
from http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GITR_Report_2013.pdf Retrieved on 8
February, 2014. Also available at www.weforum.org/gitr ISBN: 13: 978-92-95044-
77-7.
GITR Report, 2012. The networked readiness index rankings. In Dutta, S. and Bilbao-Osorio, B.
(Eds.), The global information technology report 2012: Living in a hyperconnected
world. Geneva, Switzerland: World Economic Forum. P. xxiii. Retrieved from
http://www3.weforum.org/docs/Global_IT_Report_2012.pdf Retrieved on 8 February,
2014. Also available at www.weforum.org/gitr ISBN: 13: 978-92-95044-33-3.
Gladwin, T.N., Kennelly, J.J. and Krause, T.S. (1995). Shifting paradigms for sustainable
development: Implications for management theory and research. In The academy
management review, 20:4. P. 876. Available at http://www.jstor.org/stable/258959
Retrieved on 8 February, 2014. DOI: 119:40.118.18.

ISSN : 2231-9948
147
Gnaniah, J., Yeo, A., Songan, P., Zen, H. and Ab-Hamid, K. (2004). A comparison on the
implementation approaches for the e-Bario and e-Bedian projects. In Khaled, H.M.,
Helander, M.G. and Yeo, A.W. (Eds.), Work with computing systems. Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia: Damai Sciences. Available at
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a438157.pdf Retrieved on 8 February, 2014.
Google image 2013, retrieved from
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=kano%20durbar#q=+nigerian+movie+indu
stry&safe=off&tbm=isch&facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=D7zyqdSOt-yfdM%3A%3/
Retrieved on 14 August, 2013.
Google Public Data (2012). www.google.com/publicdata Retrieved on 15 January, 2012.
Hassan, N.M., Olaniyi, O.M., Ahmed, A., and Dogo, E.M. (2013). Wireless sensor
network for remote healthcare monitoring in Nigeria: Challenges and way forward.
In International Conference on Emerging and Sustainable Technologies for Power
and ICT in a Developing Society (IEEE), (NIGERCON) 2013, 4:13. Owerri, Nigeria.
Pp. 182-183. Available at
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=6715654 Retrieved on 1
February, 2014. DOI: 10.1109/NIGERCON.2013.6715654, ISSN: 978-1-4799-
2016-7
Heeks, R. (2002). e-Government in Africa: Promise and practice. In iGovernment working paper
series, 13. Institute for development policy and management. Retrieved from
http://idpm.man.ac.uk/wp/igov/index.htm Retrieved on 8 January, 2014.
ICT4D Nigeria Annual Review, 2007. Retrieved from
http://www.jidaw.com/itsolutions/ict4dreview2007.html Retrieved on 30 November,
2013.
IFAD cited in Rural Poverty Portal, 2014. Rural poverty in Nigeria. Available at
http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/country/home/tags/nigeria# Retrieved on 9 February,
2014.
IT and Telecom Digest, 2012. “We have more than 240 rural ICT centers across Nigeria.”
Available at http://www.ittelecomdigest.com/cover- 3.htm Retrieved on 1 February,
2014.
ITU (2009). World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, 2009. Retrieved from
www.itu.com Retrieved on 30 November, 2009.

ISSN : 2231-9948
148
IWS 2014. Usage and population statistics: Africa: Nigeria. Retrieved from
http://www.internetworldstats.com/africa.htm#ng Retrieved on 8 February, 2014.
Iyanda, D.G., Ogundele, L.A. and Oyedemi, O.A. (2014). Grid computing: A desirable tool
for electronic governance. In Control Theory and Informatics, 4:1, Pp. 2-3.
Available at http://iiste.org/Journals/index.php/CTI/article/viewFile/9401/9623
Retrieved on 1 February, 2014. ISSN: 2225-0492
Jalali, A.K., Okhovvat, R.M. and Okhovvat, M. (2011). A new applicable model of Iran rural
e-commerce development. In World Conference on Information Technology, WCIT,
3. Available at
https://www.ejisdc.org/ojs2.../index.php/ejisdc/article/viewFile/462/230 Retrieved
on 1 February 2014. DOI:10.1016/j.procs.2010.12.187
Jimoh, L., Pate, M.A., Lin, L. and Schulman, K.A. (2012). A model for the adoption of ICT by
health workers in Africa. In International journal of medical informatics, 81:11.
Pp. 773-774. Also available at
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1386505612001566 and
www.ijmijournal.com Retrieved on 7 February, 2014.
Laswell, H. (1948). The structure and function of communication and society: The
communication of ideas. New York, US: Institute for Religious and Social
Studies. Retrieved from http://www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/mass/functional.htm
Retrieved on 9 December, 2013.
Lazarsfeld, P.F. and Merton, F.K. (2007). Mass communication, popular taste and organized
social action. P. 235. University of Illinois, US. ISSN: 1302-146x. Available at
http://www.iletisimdergisi.gazi.edu.tr/arsiv/24.pdf#page=239 Retrieved on 3
February, 2014.
MCMC (2013). Retrieved from www.skmm.gov.my/ Retrieved on 9 December, 2013. Also
available at www.undp.org/malaysia/ Retrieved on 4 April, 2013.
Moghaddam, B.K. and Khatoon-Abadi, A. (2013). Factors affecting ICT adoption among rural
users: A case study of ICT center in Iran. In Telecommunications policy, 37. Available at
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308596113000360 and
www.elsevier.com/locate/telpol Retrieved on 8 February, 2014.
Moudio, R. (May 2013). Nigeria’s film industry: A potential gold mine. In “Africa Renewal
Online”. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/may-

ISSN : 2231-9948
149
2013/nigeria%E2%80%s-film-industry-potential-gold-mine Retrieved on 10
December, 2013.
Munyua, H. (2000). Information and communications technologies in rural development and
food security: Lessons from field experiences in developing countries. CAB
International, Africa Regional Centre. Retrieved from www.fao.org/sd/CDdirect/
Retrieved on 1 August, 2013.
Murdoc, H. (April 27, 2012). Nigeria tries to curb appetite for imported food. In “Global Post”
(America’s World News Site). Available at
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/africa/nigeria/120423/decrease -food-
imports-increase-food-security Retrieved on 1 February, 2014.
NBI Malaysia, 2014. Retrieved from http://www.skmm.gov.my/Sectors/Broadband/National-
Broadband-Initiative.aspx and
http://www.skmm.gov.my/index.php?c=public&;v=art_view&art_id=36 Retrieved on 28
January, and 8 February, 2014 respectively.
NCC Report on ICT, 2013. Retrieved from www.vanguard.com/2013/06/ Retrieved on 14
August, 2013.
NPC 2014. Nigeria over 167 million population: Implications and challenges. Retrieved from
http://www.population.gov.ng/index.php/84-news/latest/106-nigeria-over-167-million-
population-implications-and-challenges Retrieved on 8 February, 2014.
Prabhakar, N. and Basu, N. (2007). Communication and sustainable development In N.
Prabhakar and N. Basu, Mass Media and development. New Delhi, India:
Commonwealth Publishers. P. 284.
Prabhakar, N. and Basu, N. (2007). Communication for rural development. In N. Prabhakar
and N. Basu, Mass Media and development. New Delhi, India: Commonwealth
Publishers. P. 30.
Riley, J. (2012). ICT, business and technology: ICT - what is it? (Np.). Retrieved from
http://www.tutor2u.net/business/ict/intro_what_is_ict.htm Retrieved on 17 July,
2013 and 7 February, 2014.
Rural Poverty Portal, 2014. (IFAD rural poverty report, 2011): Rural poverty in Nigeria.
Available at http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/country/home/tags/nigeria#

ISSN : 2231-9948
150
Singh, A. (2006). Information technologies (ICT) and sustainable development: Development
alternatives. New Delhi, India. Retrieved from www.devalt.org Retrieved on 30
November, 2009.
Soriano, C.R.R. (2007). Exploring the ICT and rural poverty link: Community telecenters
and rural livelihoods in Wu’an, China. In The electronic journal on information
systems in developing countries (EJISDC), 32:1. Available at
https://www.ejisdc.org/ojs2.../index.php/ejisdc/article/viewFile/462/230 Retrieved
Tersoo, P. (2014). Agribusiness as a veritable tool for rural development in Nigeria. In
International letters of social and humanistic sciences, 3, Pp 27-31. Available at
http://www.ilshs.pl/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/ILSHS-3-2014-26-36.pdf Retrieved on
1 February, 2014. ISSN: 2300-2697
The World Factbook (November 2013). Field listing: Ethnic groups. American Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) Library. Retrieved from
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world- factbook/fields/2075.html#ni
Retrieved on 10 December, 2013.
UN Data 2014. World statistics pocketbook, 2013: Nigeria. Available at
http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=Nigeria Retrieved on 1 February,
2014.
UNDP/MDGs Malaysia Report 2010. Retrieved from www.undp.org/malaysia/ Retrieved on
4 April, 2013.
UNDP Nigeria, 2012. About Nigeria. Available at
http://www.ng.undp.org/content/nigeria/en/home/countryinfo/ Retrieved on 1
February, 2014.
UNESCO, 2014. Protecting our heritage and fostering creativity. Retrieved from
http://en.unesco.org/themes/protecting-our-heritage-and-fostering-creativity Retrieved on
8 February, 2014.
US Department of State, Nigeria, (2012). Retrieved from
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2836.htm Retrieved on 15 January, 2012.

ISSN : 2231-9948
151
Williams, H. (2001). Historic cities: The essence of place, sacred and secular. In Serageldu, I.,
Shluger, E. and Martin-Brown, J. (Eds.). Historic cities and sacred sites: Cultural roots
for urban futures. Washington DC, US: The World Bank.
World Bank, Nigeria, 2012. Available at http://data.worldbank.org/country/nigeria
234next.com (2012). Nigeria has only 16% Internet coverage. Retrieved from
http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Money/5618970-147/ Retrieved on 14
January, 2012.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR :
Adamkolo Mohammed Ibrahim was born in 1979 in Geidam town in Yobe State, Nigeria. I
was brought up by my guardian, Late Adamkolo Snr., in Damaturu where I attended Njiwaji
Primary School Damaturu from 1983-1988 and later joined Federal Government College (FGC)
Maiduguri from 1989-1994. In 2002 I joined University of Maiduguri to study Mass
Communication. I graduated with a Second-Class Upper BA Mass Comm. (Hons.) in 2007. I
was employed by Yobe State Government radio, Yobe Broadcasting Corporation (YBC)
Damaturu as broadcaster until November 2010 when I joined University of Maiduguri as
Graduate Assistant in Department of Mass Communication. In February 2013 I got admission in
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) for a Master’s Degree in Development Communication. I am
Muslim, married and blessed with two children. I am enamoured of reading, writing and current
affairs. I also like jogging, football, blogging, chatting on social media and voluntary social
work.

Critical purviews where information and communication technology (ICT) can promote sustainable development in nigeria by adamkolo m.i., 2013

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (18)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (19)

Similar to Critical purviews where information and communication technology (ICT) can promote sustainable development in nigeria by adamkolo m.i., 2013

Similar to Critical purviews where information and communication technology (ICT) can promote sustainable development in nigeria by adamkolo m.i., 2013 (20)

More from Adamkolo Mohammed Ibrahim Jinjiri

More from Adamkolo Mohammed Ibrahim Jinjiri (7)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Critical purviews where information and communication technology (ICT) can promote sustainable development in nigeria by adamkolo m.i., 2013