Does Nigeria need tech disruption?

By Muyiwa Moyela 

There is so much data everywhere, yet not enough 

for Nigerians to use.

In real terms, we all create and consume tons of data every day. According to ICT analysts, the human race generates about 2.5 billion gigabytes of data daily. And this is sourced through more than one trillion devices.

Data and information management should not just be the headache of information communication technology experts. Managing data ought to be everybody’s concern since we all produce or use data in one form or another, either individually or at an institutional level.

Nigerian agencies living in the past

Even President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly told relevant ministries, departments and agencies of state to find a solution to the nation’s data dilemma. Currently, several Nigerian private and state owned enterprises collect the same data for different reasons. Banks collect Know-Your-Customer and other bio-metric information.

The Nigerian Immigration Service, through its Passport Office, also collects bio-metric data. The police do the same thing, while various driver and vehicle licensing authorities also collect similar information from citizens and drivers.

The National Identity Management Commission will also need data to produce national identity cards. But the databases of these government-managed institutions do not connect.

Nigerian airlines currently seat on millions of travelers personal data and travel records. Most of our academic institutions and health care facilities still keep valuable student and patient records in shelves and lockers

For how long shall we continue to live on yesterday’s solutions?

The agriculture value chain used to be an analogue, weather-dependent industry. But this has changed – thanks to bio-technology and other disruptive techniques.

In automotive science, technology has become compulsory, thus helping the global car industry to drive up safety, mechanical efficiency, fuel economy and comfort level. What used to be a simple act of mobility is now not so simple anymore. Now it generates real-time and latent data, which can be useful information for drivers, car designers, engineers, traffic managers and pedestrians.

IBM estimates that 90 per cent of data generated by devices, such as smartphones, tablets, connected vehicles and appliances is never analysed or acted on. As much as 60 per cent of this data begins to lose value within a few seconds of being generated.

It is obvious that technology will drive Africa’s economic and social reforms. This is simply because five disruptive technologies are converging at once, creating a new continent: social media, mobile, cloud, sensor networks and big data.

African need? 

Any one of these innovations alone will cause substantial disruption. But, together they have the power to reshape how we think of and build the most basic systems in our economies and societies, whether it is how we organise business operations, develop our energy grids, run transportation systems or structure interactions between citizens and governments.

A few places are better positioned to benefit from the convergence than Africa. Because of the comparative immaturity of its physical, governmental and economic infrastructures, these technologies have the potential to create greater benefits there than anywhere else.

At the same time, Africa has the need – and the economic ability – to make the most of these innovations. Many regions are thriving as trade increases at double-digit rates, democracy and open elections are more widely embraced while infrastructure improvements connect Africans to the rest of the world.

Africa’s cities, for instance, face the dual challenge of managing economic growth and urbanisation following hard on its heels. Africa’s metropolitan areas are undergoing their fastest phase of urbanisation ever – creating pressure that could cause existing systems and services to buckle and break.

Nigeria need massive disruptive technologies

In Nigeria, Africa’s most populated economy, the need for disruptive technologies is apparent. In the area of tax collection, there is a huge compliance gap. Mobile systems could help tackle the issue of revenue generation, making it easier for individuals and businesses to pay taxes electronically. Hosting city services in the cloud would lead to a more transparent and cost-effective system, while applying big data analytics would make it easier to track fraud and people who are not paying taxes.

We are also long overdue for smart energy solutions. Nigeria currently leads the continent in load shedding and outages, as power supply has never progressed gone beyond the 3,000 to 4,000 MegaWatts range. Smart meters and smart grids could monitor and manage electricity distribution, while diversifying energy supplies could balance the load.

For example, a number of companies have begun to invest in off-grid energy solution across Africa. Telecoms provider, Airtel, is piloting the use of wind and solar power as a backup to grid power for its mobile stations.

Of course, our transportation sector would also gain a lot from these disruptive technologies. As consumption habits and car cultures go, Nigeria represents any auto maker’s delight. With a head count of about 180 million and still growing, it is arguably one of the largest motor vehicle markets in the world, rubbing shoulders with the likes of China, the US, Europe, India, Brazil and Mexico.

Clearly, big data, analytics and mobile systems can help provide a better understanding of the flow of traffic and bottlenecks on our streets and highways, providing the kinds of insights that can be used, along with other technologies, to create new maps for directing traffic and constructing new transportation systems.