Nigeria Communication Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) says that data collection systems in the country should be totally Information Technology (IT)-enabled for effective service delivery.
The Managing Director of NIGCOMSAT, Ms Abimbola Alale, said this during the 2nd Annual workshop organised by the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS)Abuja chapter with the theme “Data Management for Economic Growth”.
Represented by Mr Mohammed Giya, NIGCOMSAT Senior Manager, Development, Alale said that the traditional means of collecting data in the country encouraged flaws in the system.
According to her, accurate data value chain is key to tackling socio-economic problems in the society and has the capacity to increase the country’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP).
“We are still operating traditional means of data collection, some of these data collection agencies still carry about files in the process of collecting data across the country.
“Data collection should be IT-compliant for effective service delivery and to avoid mistakes in the system.”
She recognised that poor internet connectivity leading to poor data collection, especially in rural areas and poor funding,contributed to faulty data value chain, among other challenges.
“We lack indigenous applications for stimulation of data and agencies of government should have standard data transportation format to synchronise data from different organisations.”
Prof. Charles Uwadia, the President of Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN) said IT profession was no longer a closed shop but an “all-comers profession.”
“IT needs to take its centre place in the country for efficacy and to ensure that government harnesses the benefits of the industry.
“The challenge we have in the IT industry is that professionals are not where they are supposed to be.
“To that effect, CPN is relocating its headquarters from Lagos to Abuja by January 2019 to help us to raise our level of activities in the IT industry to ensure that the right things are done.”
Panelists at the workshop identified that different agencies of government were collecting data in silos, saying there was need to have a standard system with a centralised data system in the country to avoid collection and
recollection data of citizens.