Programos Foundation and promoter of Innovationbed: UN ICT4SIDS Smart City and Connected Communities programme in Nigeria, Amos Emmanuel, explains the concept behind the need for education in Smart City Innovation among the private and public sector.

    Q: Nigeria desires a digital economy – so much that this agenda of government caused a name change of the previous Ministry of Communication and Technology to reflect the goal of the government of President Mohammadu Buhari as the new Ministry of Communication Technology and Digital Economy headed by the Honourable Minister Dr. Isa Pantami FNCS How do you see this development?

    A: The way government works may just be to exhibit a direction, it therefore manifest in minds of innovators like myself continue to chart a good course for social innovation ecosystem development since the government expresses positive supports by admitting and taking strategic actions such as name change and implementing programmes under the pandemic to buttress the need to realize the goal of digital economy in truth. It is hoped the government and its new ministry will realize that it prepares to promote all positive innovation development potentials in the country serving as an engine for lubricating economic recovery activities across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT. 

    Q: What can Nigeria look forward to through the United Nations ICT4SIDS public service innovation Workshop, alongside the WSA-Nigeria National Pre-Selection Virtual Conference?

    A: Nigeria has come to the realization that it takes both the government and its citizens to build enduring home-grown solutions to nurture economic empowerment and growth. Programos Foundation has researched in over two decade nurturing local innovation development capacities among Nigerians vis-a-vis championing global economic development initiatives of the ICT4SIDS in several ways that it is now time that both benefits can begin to be felt to manifest in Nigeria by these global recommendations powered by the notable agencies whose processes ride on the aegis of the World Summit on Information Society, WSIS framework. The World Wide Web is an ocean of information flooded with a tsunami of content. 

In a pandemic-eroded economy, quality, probity of actions and strategic planning will be the characteristics to promote hence our programme in the season to encourage and direct the public service space aright, as well shine the light and direction to the local innovators in the directions they need emphasis their activities to help with best e-content digital solutions offering that help to drive their activities for improved services,

    Q: What distinguishes the WSA from other awards?

    A: In its field WSA is the only global award that takes place in the framework of the UN and its World Summit on the information society. Moreover, it is unique in its focus on content richness. Hence, the WSA categories reflect all parts of social and cultural life.

    Q: Why is it important to showcase local content?

    A: The Internet is a huge integration machine for global culture. It tends to eliminate the difference in terms of language as well as idioms. The main language is English, so people can communicate with each other. This is very important. Nevertheless, the internet may not only become a communication medium, but also an expression medium. The internet is a crucial carrier and creator of cultural identity. That is why WSA aims to overcome linguistic barriers and the smallness of national markets.

LOCAL WSA NIGERIA ACTIVITIES

The UN based World Summit Awards is now expanding from one state to another in Nigeria with an ultimate goal of letting the First Ladies of the State to host activities of their states with respect to social innovation in the course of their humanitarian development works for their citizens.

WSA Nigeria – #Innovationbed #Incubation2030

The World Summit Award (WSA) is a global competition demonstrating the local diversity and rich creativity of ICT use.

Each country has a national WSA representation – the WSA National Expert. The WSA national experts are carrying out the local pre-selection for WSA, through national contests or national Expert panel selection. To participate in WSA, you need to be nominated by a WSA National Expert as the best national digital application in one of the 8 categories. Each country is eligible to nominate one project/solution per WSA category.

Programos Foundation is organizing the WSA National Contest for Nigeria, and Mr Amos Emmanuel is the National Expert for Nigeria.

Programos Foundation is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization. We are the promoters of the digital ecosystem called Innovationbed, and have successful records of conducting certain United Nations programmes especially on the growth of SDGs innovation capacity development among youths and digital transformation of enterprises in Nigeria for 10 years of volunteerism. We have represented Nigeria at the United Nations World Summit Awards (WSA – as the Eminent National Expert for Nigeria) and the UN ICT4SIDS – as the regional working group architect for SPACE4Nigeria’s implementation of the UN-GAID eNabler Initiative in Nigeria since 2010. Our job has remarkably positioned Nigeria’s recognition indelibly on the global innovation map as a force to reckon with owing to the brilliant performances by our nominated producers from the Innovationbed Incubation-2030 to the global stage yearly in the last 10 years and which can be better if we have a good spread across Nigeria – targeting 5m people by 2030.

• Programos Foundation recognize the achievements in e-Content and innovative ICT applications and encourage the creation of local content;
• Programos Foundation provide an exclusive forum for networking, and facilitate collaboration between various stakeholders;
• Programos Foundation position the region as a hub for excellence and innovation;
• Programos Foundation ahead of its #Innovationbed #Incubation2030 programme on Tech-Talent and innovation tech-scouting optimization for Nigeria partners state governments to establish state representations of United Nations World Summit Awards as state Hubs: embraced are Zamfara State Government, Nasarawa State Government …

Combining an ongoing series of international events and activities with a global network of start-ups, social entrepreneurs, mentors, jurors, speakers, experts, government leaders, academia and civil society, WSA is an international platform for cutting edge examples on how ICTs can have an impact on society.

United Nations World Summit Awards regional implementations have reached executive attentions in the following states:

			Zamfara State #Innovationbed Hub of World Summit Awards (Nigeria)
			Nasarawa State #Innovationbed Hub of World Summit Awards (Nigeria)