Information and Communication Technology - As part of efforts to boost Information and Communication Technology capacity utilizations among government's agencies and businesses in the country, Nokia Siemens Networks has opened a new office in Nigeria. The Head of Africa Region, Nokia Siemens Networks, Mr. Dimitri Diliani, said the opening of the Nigerian office was part of its 'Internet for every African' vision, adding that Nigeria is an important country in this vision.

Diliani who spoke at the inauguration of the office at the Banana Island in Lagos, said having point of presence in Nigeria was as part of the company's renewed focus on the African continent.

He explained that Nokia Siemens Networks restructured and separated its Africa operations at the beginning of 2011.

Diliani said, "The African market is growing at a strong pace and we felt the need to provide additional focus to support this growth. Our new office in Lagos will serve as an integral part of our strategy to strengthen our operations in the continent and deliver superior services to our customers."

The Country Director for Nokia Siemens networks, Mr. Raphael Udeogu in a presentation at the event bemoaned the low utilisation of ICT resources in Nigeria with reference to the results of the 2011 Connectivity Scorecard, which is the first study to rank 50 countries worldwide on ICT infrastructure deployment and the extent to which the infrastructure is put to efficient use.

He said, "On a benchmark scale of 10, Nigeria scores a low '1.09' and ranks 23rd on the list of developing countries (or resource & efficiency driven economies) measured in the overall study."

Even though there is a positive increase in mobile penetration and a strong demand for Internet services, there needs to be a strong improvement in broadband services, literacy rates, business infrastructure and ICT utilisation in business and public sectors, he said.

Nahimah Ajikanle Nurudeen

Daily Trust/20/09/2011