Connectivity Providers Database

From: Steve Huter <sghuter@igc.apc.org> To: randy@psg.com Date: Tue, 18 Apr 1995 14:20:45 -0700 /* Written 2:14 AM Apr 10, 1995 by mcumolu@ccnet.com in igc:list.africana */ /* ---------- "Article on Nigeria Internet confere" ---------- */ From: mcumolu@ccnet.com (Michael Chukwuma Umolu) Subject: Article on Nigeria Internet conference Date: Fri, 7 Apr 1995 18:07:41 -0500 From: aun651@anu.edu.au X-To: naijanet@MIT.EDU Subject: DT on Yaba Confab I reproduce below a Daily Times News Report on the Yaba Internet Conference. (All typos are NOT mine) ---------------- Daily Times (Nigeria), Tuesday, March 21, 1995, Page 7 ACTION PLAN FOR INTERNET ACCESS IN NIGERIA Stories by Kenneth Ugbechie It was by every standard a success. The two-day workshop on Internet Access in Nigeria organised by Yaba (not Yabbba, my addition) College of Technology in conjunction with the United States Information Service (USIS) among other agencies and organisations presented an unusual mix of experts including academicians, company executives, professionals in the nation's information technology industry, custodians of the local as well as those overseas networks that subscribe to the global web. It thus greatly actulised the objectives of the workshop which Mrs Odusote, head of computer techonology, Yabatech, and Internet administrator in Nigeria outlined as: To provide a forum in which Nigerians who are in position to influence communication policy in the country (from government, academics and business) can come to an understanding of the internet's potentials and discuss the future of networking in Nigeria and to share individual and institutional contacts, experience, as well as information sources which will assist the process of networking development in Nigeria thus making it more affordable to the average user especially in the eduacational sector. The workshop which had in attendance, representative of NITEL, the director-general of the communication ministry, Mr David Oyegun, the president of the Computer Association of Nigeria (COAN), Mr Tunde Njoku, the chief executve of the Nigerian Communication Commission, Mr Cletus Iromantu, egg-heads from the ivory tower, the ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIANS ABROAD (ANA) ably represented by Festus Adelabu, a select section of the press and a handful of Nigerian telecom experts working in both local and international agencies, was chaired by Mr Olawale Ige, one-time minister of communication, aviation and transport. Often it has been adduced that the problem with networking in Nigeria is the lack of co-operation among the operators. Nancy Hafkin of PADIS (Pan African Development Information System) enunciated on this last year. Odusote was to confirm this when she said that a number of disconnected initiatives are on at connecting thus spreading the resources instead of concentrating such resource at a single anchor point (the Nigerian factor, my addition). It is obvious that we have fundamental handicaps like erractic power supply and unreliable telephone network as highlighted by some of the discussants, but I think we should learn from the INET '93 team from Mozambique whose motto was ``start as soon as possible with no resources'', and from Wendy White of the US National Research Council who has a commendable African experience. She counsels ``Don't get discouraged by people on this side of the ocean who refused to recognise your achievements''. Organisers of this programme need not be discouraged by the prevailing bottlenecks. Yabatech has already scored a plus here because at the end of the workshop, a communique action plan were developed. Part of the action plan was the formation of a Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) which should be non-profit, non-governemental organisation. The group is expected to promote awareness, develop national infrastructure and facilitate access to the internet for both the public and private users by carefully harnessing and allocating Internet resources. Some of the objectives of the NIG is the formation and management of a national network which will give a national identity to the Nigerian end-users, developing a national archive and database centre, etc. >From the deliberations, there was no doubt that before the turn of the year, Nigeria would be directly hooked to the global network with all its benefits-a access to information anywhere in the world, disseminating local news about Nigeria by Nigerians to the outside world and lots more. -------------------------------------------------------