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Seriki Becomes Vice Chairman of World IT Advisory Board
[October 27, 2014]

Seriki Becomes Vice Chairman of World IT Advisory Board


(AllAfrica Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The President of Information Technology Industry Association of Nigeria (ITAN), Mrs. Florence Seriki , has been elected as the new Vice Chairman, African region, for the World Information Technology and Services Advisory Board (WITSA). The election was carried out in Mexico recently.



WITSA, organisers of the on-going World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) in Guadalajara, Mexico, is a consortium of associations from the information and communications technology (ICT) industry around the world. Founded in 1978, the group represents over 90 per cent of the world ICT market through its global membership, and has a goal of advancing the growth and development of the ICT industry. It participates in advocacy in international public policy that affects the global information infrastructure.

With the election, Seriki will join other elected members including Nizar Zakka, who will represent the Middle East and North Africa, Yannis Sirrors for Europe, Silvia Bidart for Latin America, Takashi Igarashi for Asia Pacific and John Kyle for the Carribean to steer the ship of the global IT body for the next two years. The ITAN president made similar show last year when she led Nigerian IT industry operators to the Gitex Technology show in Dubai, where Nigeria is a country partner in this year's edition.


Based on the election, Nigeria becomes one of the four countries in Africa to retain its sit on the advisory board of WITSA. Other African countries represented on the board are Egypt, Kenya and South Africa. In her presentation shortly before the election, Seriki told the meeting that the time was now ripe for Africa to take its pride of place in the scheme of IT development in the world. She said she would use her new role as African representative to reposition Africa for economic development. She said there was need for the world to focus more attention on the development of ICT in African continent because of the huge potential that abounds in the region.

She noted that enabling policy development had been the bane of growth of the sector, but however said this was what informed her doggedness and determination to ensure that Africa is well positioned in terms of policy development. She explained that Nigeria and Ghana have adopted the local content development initiative that will enable both countries develop its local potential in the area of IT. This, she added, would lead to creation of more jobs for the citizens of both countries. According to Seriki, "We are fighting for enabling policy to make Nigeria and Africa grow its economy. We have started production of locally manufactured IT products to forestall Africa becoming a dumping ground for the world. We will no longer be a continent for dumping ground of finished products from around the world. We can make something that will compete with every other product on our own." Seriki also told the gathering that Omatek Ventures Plc, which she founded several years ago, is the pioneer in Nigeria and one of the factories on the African continent involved in the production of computers, casings and speakers from completely knocked-down (CKD) components. Operating at 25 per cent capacity utilisation, the Omatek Computer factory rolls out, per annum, 120,000 speakers, 120,000 casings and 48,000 fully-built PCs.

The Omatek factory now assembles original equipment manufacturer (OEM) brands for other brand builders, both local and foreign. Omatek has kept enlarging its coast by diversifying its business into other related areas. One of these areas is the achievement of 24-hour lighting that will ensure power consumption cut of about 85 per cent in homes, private and public sectors of the economy.The use of this solar solution can result in significant operational and maintenance cost savings for schools, public offices, hospitals, hotels, street lighting implementation, rural electrification and rural water system, Seriki said.

Copyright This Day. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).

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