NATIONAL SOFTWARE POLICY

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NATIONAL SOFTWARE POLICY

By

National Software Policy Committee

National Information Technology Development Agency

(NITDA)

October 2011

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All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording and otherwise, without prior written permission from NITDA.

Editing and Page layout by: Telephone:

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MEMBERS OF NATIONAL SOFTWARE POLICY COMMITTEE

Professor O. C. Akinyokun: Chairman of National Software Policy Committee Mr. I. Aliyu: Member representing OSGF

Professor O. Osuagwu: Member representing Academia Dr. A. S. Daura: Member representing NITDA Mr. Inye Kemabota: Member representing NITDA

Mr. J. T. Obaro: Member representing ISPON

Mr. Mba-Uroukwu Chinenye: Member representing ISPON Mr. A . G. Bisong: Member representing FMST Mr. O. O. Aderemi: Member representing FME Dr. U. F. Mohammed: Member representing NOTAP

Mr. D. K. Oladapo: Member representing FCSC Ms. C. I. Cheneze: Member representing FJSC Mrs O.O. Oyeleye: Member representing NCC Mrs. E. Akwara: Member representing NCC

Mr. R. Eyo: Member representing NCC Mr. S. A. Shehu: Member representing CPN Mr. B Olubamise: Member representing CSOs Mr. J. Y. Omokore: Member representing CAPDA

Mr. M. I. Agidan: Member representing SON

Mr. D. Adeyeri: Member representing Banking and Finance Dr. V. O. Olatunji: Secretary to National Software Policy Committee

RESOURCE PERSONS

Mr. Chris Uwaje; President of ISPON Professor C. O. Uwadia; President of NCS

Professor S. B. Junaidu; Director of Iya Abubakar Computer Centre, ABU Dr. Takang Armstrong; CEO of ALTEQ.ICT

Mr. Pius Okigbo jr.; CEO of INFOSOFT Nig. Ltd. Dr. F. M. E. Uzoka; University of Calgary, Canada

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

Professor O. C. Akinyokun: Chairman Professor O. Osuagwu: Member Mr. Mba-Uroukwu Chinenye: Member

Mr. B. Olubamise: Member Mr. D. K. Oladapo: Member

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Dr. V. O. Olatunji: Secretary

FOREWORD

Information Technology (IT) is the world's fastest growing body of knowledge that is transforming resource-based economies to knowledge-based economies. Information services, products and production processes are evolving rapidly. Knowledge engineering is replacing pure data and information oriented engineering. The engine of IT as a global agent for societal change and transformation in an emerging knowledge economy is software. Software is a tool for good governance, optimal productivity, transparency and accountability with a proven potential to contribute to national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Software is the new paradigm shift in the history of human development with immense ability to bridge the economic gap between the developed and developing nations.

Given the existing political and socio-economic status of Nigeria in West Africa and Africa, the potentials exist for the emergence of Nigeria as a global competitor in the software market with ancillary beneficial impact of poverty alleviation, gender equality, wealth and job creation in the society. There is evidence that the domestic market for software products and services is huge as exemplified by the increasing activity of global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), penetration of Internet connectivity and mobile phone usage, growth of national database, knowledge discovery, data mining, emergency response systems and a host of other platforms. The challenge facing Nigeria is how much of this market opportunity is linked to the emergence of a vibrant local software economy and capability, as opposed to net negative capital flight and job losses to international competition. Thus, while indigenous software is capable of reducing the existing capital flight through foreign software, it also has the capacity to attract tremendous foreign earnings desirable for accelerated growth of Nigerian economy.

In 2004, National Software Development Task Force (NSDTF) was set up by the Federal Government while National Software Development Initiatives (NSDI) was sponsored and organized by the private sector to provide a Road Map for software development in Nigeria. The 2005 recommendations of NSDTF and NSDI have not been backed up with any legislative and regulatory framework. It is imperative that Nigeria develops a software policy in order to align software as a National Critical Infrastructure (NCI) for national goals, aspirations and empowerment. The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in December 6, 2010, set up the National Software Policy Committee (NSPC) with members drawn from a broad spectrum of stakeholders to develop a National Software Policy (NSP) aimed at providing a blueprint to make Nigeria a competitive country in the area of software development.

This document which is the product of NSPC is organized in three parts. Part One presents the Terms of Reference of NSPC, NSP Vision, Mission and areas of focus, and breakdown of NSP statements. Part Two presents the objectives of the NSP and the indicators of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the software sector of Nigerian economy. Part Three presents the National Software Policy with emphasis on the policy statement, policy objectives and policy strategies of the seven areas of focus, namely: software human capital; software infrastructure; software fiscal policy; software industry economics; software legislative, regulatory and institutional frameworks; software and national development strategy; and software research, innovation and development. NITDA, currently, aims at developing a strategic plan for the implementation of NSP.

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Professor Cleopas O. Angaye

Director General/Chief Executive Officer of NITDA

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

ATCON Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria

AU African Union

CNII Critical National Information Infrastructure CNSI Critical National Software Infrastructure

CPN Computer Professional (Registration Council) of Nigeria CSO Civil Society Organization

CT Communication Technology

ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States

EU European Union

DC Digital Colony

FCSC Federal Civil Service Commission FGN Federal Government of Nigeria FIRS Federal Inland Revenue Service FJSC Federal Judiciary Service Commission FME Federal Ministry of Education

FMST Federal Ministry of Science and Technology GATS General Agreement on Trade in Services GATT General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs GDP Gross Domestic Product

GSM Global System for Mobile Telecommunication GWP Gross World Product

ICT Information and Communications Technology

ICT4D Information and Communications Technology for Development IDPs International Development Partners

IKE Information and Knowledge Economy

IS Information Society

ISPON Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria IT Information Technology

KE Knowledge Engineering

KS Knowledge Society

LEEDS Local Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy MDA Ministry, Department and Agency

MDG Millennium Development Goal

NAPEP National Poverty Eradication Programme

NASSCOM National Association of Software and Service Companies NASENI National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure NCS Nigerian Computer Society

NDS Nigerian Developed Software

NCC National Communications Commission

NEEDS National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy NEPAD New Partnership for African Development

NGO Non Government Organization NISE Nigerian Software Exhibition

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NITEL Nigerian Tele-communications Limited NNPC Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NOA National Orientation Agency

NOTAP National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion NSDI National Software Development Institute

NSDTF National Software Development Task Force NSERT National Software Emergency Response Team NSIF National Software Innovative Fund

NSP National Software Policy

NSPC National Software Policy Committee

NISRID National Institute of Software Research, Innovation and Development

NUC National Universities Commission NYSC National Youth Services Corp

OSGF Office of the Secretary to Federal Government

PC Personal Computer

Per Capita Income Gross Domestic Product divided by the country’s population. PPP Public Private Partnership

PW Political Will

R&D Research and Development

RID Research, Innovation and Development RDBMS Relational Database Management System

SE Software Engineering

SEEDS State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy

SHP Software Human Capital

SI Software Infrastructure SFP Software Fiscal Policy.

SIE Software Industry Economics.

SLRIF Software Legislative, Regulatory and Institutional Frameworks SNDS Software and National Development Strategy.

SON Standard Organization of Nigeria

SRID Software Research, Innovation and Development. SMEDAN Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency

ST Software Trade

STP Software Technology Parks

SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats

TOR Terms of Reference

TRIPS Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights UNECA United Nations Economic Commission for Africa USA United States of America

WSIS World Summit on Information Society WTO World Trade Organization

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NATIONAL SOFTWARE POLICY