Members of Nigeria Information Technology Reporters’ Association (NITRA) have been lauded for their role in the development of Information and Communications Technology, ICT, particularly in sensitising the public on the importance of local hosting and its benefits for the country.
Mr. Muhammed Rudman, Chief Executive Officer, Internet eXchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), while delivering his remarks at NITRA Technology Forum 2021 with the Theme “Achieving 30% Growth in Local Cloud Hosting by 2024”, hailed the contributions of the fourth estate of the realm for their incisive reportage of the ICT sector.
Rudman, who has been an advocate for Internet domestication since 2006, noted that NITRA’s effort on Internet domestication was a welcomed development, stressing that, there is still a lot to be done.
He said “We are not there yet, hence the need to sustain the sensitization! With NITRA now raising the flag higher and directed at achieving 30% growth from the existing 60%, over 80% of Nigeria’s Internet traffic should be locally be accessible by 2024.
“The NITRA Technology Forum 2021 is a one-day event aimed at bringing together Web hosting companies, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Data Centres, Web developers, IT Entrepreneurs and academics from the ICT community in Nigeria to discuss, educate and promote the adoption of local hosting in Nigeria.
“The forum will provide the opportunity for all to learn from industry experts, engage with sponsors and professionals as well as gain business opportunities in the hosting business.
“We need to always remember that Nigeria has the population to grow any business of its choice. We need to focus and plan on how to develop our ICT infrastructure and harness the assets in order to unlock the potential of our huge population.
“As you are aware, data is the new oil, usually coined as “Data is the King”. The reality is that data is the economic engine of the Internet. With billions of US dollars invested annually across the globe towards cloud infrastructure by private and public entities, Nigeria must strive to become the hub for Internet content in Africa not just content consumers.
“Local hosting is critical for any country that wishes to develop its internet infrastructure and empower its citizens as well as ensure national data sovereignty.
“Nigerian government realization of the cloud localization brought about the National Cloud Computing Policy by NITDA in 2019, which is aimed at promoting the migration of National Data to local cloud with a goal of achieving 30% by the end of 2024.
“Some years back the Federal Government of Nigeria also setup Galaxy Backbone PLC, a company empowered to provide Internet and hosting services for government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)”.
He further explained that local hosting in Nigeria will reduce the huge capital flight. This reduction, he said will lead to higher quality of service as local hosting enables websites run about three (3) times faster than those hosting overseas because of ultralow latency.
“Hosting of content locally will further strengthen the cyber security of the country, as the passing of data between local networks would be within our national borders.
“It will also ensure business continuity as Nigeria is dependent on submarine cables when hosting internationally.
“These submarine cables are prone to damages by passing ships or due to natural disasters such as a Tsunamis which will definitely mean a disruption to information flow”.
Speaking further on the benefits of Internet domestication, Rudman said hosting of content locally will help build and develop technical skills to manage data centres in the country.
“This, also, inadvertently, means the creation of more jobs for Nigerians and the growth of the technology and hosting industry in the nation.
“It is imperative to host data locally to avoid the complexity of international laws.
“Once important information is being hosted outside the country, the laws of the land no longer apply. Rather, the information and client data hosted abroad are now under the data privacy laws of the country where the data is being hosted.
“With local hosting, organisations and individuals are guaranteed of needed support at the right time, as barriers like time difference and language are no longer an issue.
“I would encourage local hosting for Nigerian businesses as it is a step in the right direction to improve Nigeria’s economy. We need to invest locally. Our business plans should be strategically focused and geared towards developing our country, Nigeria.
“To avoid exporting and re-importing our data, we need to host our data locally. Let us all rise up, embrace the challenge and help develop Nigeria’s ICT ecosystem,” he concluded.
