60% of Civil Servants Worked from Home in 2020, SystemSpecs ED Discloses

SystemSpecs, one of the pioneer technology firms in Nigeria and one of the titans of technology in Africa, has joined the call for collaboration to engender the sustainability of Nigeria’s fast-growing ICT sector. The company is noted for its flagship product, Remita, which powers the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Treasury Single Account project – the largest and most successful of its kind.

“According to Atanda, during the peak of the pandemic in 2020, about 50% to 60% of federal government workers worked from home indicating the extent to which ICT is now widely used, even among civil servants. These category of workers in Nigeria are usually late adopters of technology for work processes. Atanda further noted that the use of technology as ow the new normal”.

A Deremi Atanda, an Executive Director at Systemspecs noted that the superstructure that holds the fabric of the society has shifted from physical engagement to one dominated by technology in the post-COVID-19 era. Nigeria, therefore, needs to harness these emerging opportunities through productive collaborations at various levels.

The appeal was made during a webinar organised by the Telecommunications and Technology Sustainability Working Group (TTSWG), themed, ‘Collaborations for a Resilient ICT Sector.’

Nigeria’s ICT sector has been the driver of Nigeria’s GDP over the last five years, particularly as other sectors slowed due to increasing unproductivity. The ICT sector alone contributed over NGN4trillion (USD9.71billion) to the N40 trillion (USD97.09bn) nominal GDP in Q1 2021. This means that the contribution of ICT to Nigeria’s nominal GDP is around 10%.

Also Read: Building an Inclusive Digital Economy in the Wake of Covid-19

There was a similar trend in Q2 2021, the sector recorded a 7.86% growth (year-on-year) and contributed 9.91% (NGN3.97trillion or USD9.64billion) to total nominal GDP of NGN40.01trillion (USD97.1billion). In terms of real GDP, the ICT sector however grew by 5.55%.

Atanda of SystemSpecs reiterated that strategy followed by planning and action is key to driving collaborations that work while highlighting that awareness plays an integral part in the campaign to make ICT an even greater driver of economic growth. He suggested some actionable steps including the embedding of sustainability in the training curriculum at various levels, a handbook that captures the history of ICT in Nigeria and documentation of top 100 ICT projects created by Nigerians in Nigeria or in the diaspora.

According to Atanda, during the peak of the pandemic in 2020, about 50% to 60% of federal government workers worked from home indicating the extent to which ICT is now widely used, even among civil servants. These category of workers in Nigeria are usually late adopters of technology for work processes. Atanda further noted that the use of technology as ow the new normal.

He also noted that SystemSpecs supported government at both federal and state level with computers and broadband connectivity in order to keep functioning optimally while employees worked remotely.

Also Read: Technology is the accelerator that will lead businesses across Emerging Africa into the digital future

Other participants at the session include Chris Uwaje, Chair, Mobile Software Solutions Ltd; Uno Udoma-Eniang, Chairperson, Legal & Regulatory Committee, ALTON; Wunmi Hassan, President/CEO, HTCNWY and Bekeme Masade-Olowola, Chief Executive, CSR-in-Action.

HumanManager and Paylink.ng are two of Systemspecs’ other popular software products that are widely deployed by corporates and government agencies in Nigeria and across Africa.

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