Nigeria Digital Sense Forum 2010 – Communiqué

Nigeria Digital Sense Forum 2010 – Communiqué
Friday, April 16, 2010
Golden Gate Paradise, Ikoyi-Lagos, Nigeria

Theme: “Internet Governance Forum: The Way Forward for Nigeria”

We, the participants at a one-day Nigeria Digital Sense forum held at the Golden Gate Ikoyi-Lagos on “Five Years of Internet Governance Forum: The Way Forward for Nigeria” on Friday, April 16, 2010, organized by Digital Sense Africa (DSA), an initiative of Remnek Kommunications Ventures in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

We reiterated the need to coordinate the position of the Nigerian Internet community through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) in recognition of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) push for the involvement of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for development.

Participants received the report of the Presidential Inter-Ministerial Committee on WSIS outcome in review of the nation’s efforts since 2005.

We recognized the effective participation of governments and all stakeholders in developing an Information-based society requiring cooperation and partnership among all of them.

The Internet was also recognized as the centre of modern business in the country and the sub-region and African continent as a whole, anchored on the belief that the future lies on the Internet.

Besides, the forum commended the present collaborative efforts between the government and the private sector being champion by Digital Sense Africa, in empowering the Nigerian populace on the values embedded on the Internet, more so in alerting the Nigeria government and officials on the need to have a common front prior to the engagement of the world at the fifth annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) scheduled to hold in Vilnius, Lithuania on September 14-17, 2010.

The 2010 edition of the Nigeria Digital Sense forum acknowledged security as a major issue of concern for the Nigerian Internet community, but noted that while its being discussed at all levels, stakeholders should not despair, as the platform offered the Nigerian Internet community the opportunity once again to assemble and deliberate on how to take advantage of the available Internet Access, its Openness to address issues on Security, Diversity and its Governance.

Apart from reaffirming support on the release of ‘Affirmation of Commitment’ to the global internet community via the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), by the US government through its Department of Commerce (DoC); the forum welcomed the recent court judgment over the controversial 2.3GHz spectrum in Nigeria, saying its reassuring on independence of NCC and the need to move forward through this spectrum allocation intended to boost ICT in the country.

And in living up to the call by the West African Internet Governance Forum (WAIGF) at Accra in 2009 as part of efforts at advancing Internet Governance related issues more seriously among stakeholders. The forum identified as follows:

1. That members of the Nigeria Internet community must be encouraged to participate at the fifth Internet Governance Forum, either individually, group or remotely.

2. Make it abundantly known to the global Internet community that Nigeria and Nigerians are very interested in the fight against cyber-related crimes purportedly emanating from Nigeria-based Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

3. Urged international internet community to help Nigeria by making sure that only those engaging in fraudulent practices should have their Internet Protocol addresses barred from Internet transactions.

4. There are several online startups that Nigerians and the youths precisely can involve themselves without being fraudulent.

5. Internet access should be seen as fundamental to human development and capacity building of Nigerians.

6. Parental care was identified as crucial if the fight against ‘yahoo, yahoo boys’ is to be won, by way of their setting up guidelines on either mobile phones or computers of their wards. In fact, they should show interest in what their wards are doing online.

7. While both the government of Nigeria and Internet community in the country should continue on the enlightenment of the citizenry, participants called for regular organisation of such a laudable forum.

8. Both individual and corporate organisations were charged to localize their online presence by patronizing the nation’s Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD), .ng, being managed by the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA).

9. .ng was recognized as a goldmine only if Nigeria Internet community can take it up and fly it on the Internet, so as for it to develop alongside other similar ccTLDs o the continent, of course not without challenges like the lack of adequate public power supply, among others.

10. The importance of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) was also stressed and the danger of being left behind, even as the forum lamented that about 10 per cent of IPv4 is still unused on the continent and called for the set up of Nigeria Internet Registry to harmonize what is available and monitor the improvement and implementation of IPv6 as the new Internet.

11. The Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and telecom operators were encouraged to ensure that their equipments comply with IPv6 specifications to boost deployment of the IP in the country.

12. The urgency for members of the ISP Association of Nigeria (ISPAN), Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), to connect with the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) was stressed, in order to keep local Internet local and save foreign exchange for the country.

Stakeholders were charged to:

(a) See to the participation of more Nigerians as Internet continues to be readily available for the populace, especially on mobile.

(b) The National Assembly was urged to speed up actions on the Cyber crime bill, but first of all ensuring harmonization of various bills relating to the same subject to hasten the acceptance of electronic evidence in the country and court trials.

(c) Reiterating the partnership of the forum through collaboration with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government, mostly at the Federal level, including the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Galaxy Backbone (GBB) Plc, and National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) among other public private partnerships.

The Nigeria Digital Sense forum 2010 was proudly supported by MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, Omatek Plc, Teledom Group, HiiT, New Horizons Ltd, NIXP, iWayAfrica Nigeria, Telecom Answers Associates (TAA), Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, StartUps and endorsed by NiRA, Nigeria Internet Group (NIG), Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) among others.

Digital Sense Africa (DSA), April 16, 2010, was presided over by the President, Internet Service Providers Association of Nigeria (ISPAN), Chief Sam Adeleke. The forum was attended by over 500 participants, cutting across decision makers, regulators, govt reps, NGOs, technocrats, ISPs, major GSM/mobile operators, online entrepreneurs, students, market women/men and religious organisation and community based organisation.

For further information please contact:

Executive Director, DSA, Nkemdilim Nweke (Mrs), 234-8023725607;
www.digitalsenseafrica.blogspot.com, www.digitalsenseafrica.com.ng, www.igf.org.ng
Inquiries: remnekkv@gmail.com, info@digitalsenseafrica.com.ng

... Making sense out of digital revolution!