Kirby camins BPED 2-B

The social impacts of information and communication technology in nigeria

ICTs have significantly impacted various sectors of the economy, including education, health, politics, and
social exclusion. In Nigeria, ICTs have evolved from radios and telecommunications to mobile phones,
television, computers, email, video conferencing, and the internet. However, challenges such as
connectivity, capacity, capital, culture, community, commerce, and cooperation hinder the use of ICTs.

Nigeria faces a major challenge in terms of lack of capacity by citizens to effectively use, service, and
maintain ICTs. The country's total adult literacy rate is 51.1%, which is lower than the rest of Africa and
the world. Investment in ICTs is still low relative to highly industrialized economies, and most public and
private institutions do not have properly functioning ICTs.

To ensure effective ICT utilization, Nigeria must encourage a culture of information sharing and update
laws regulating the operations of the telecom and broadcast sectors. This includes establishing
communities of ICT users and mobilizing skills of non-users towards an integrated ICT program.

The positive social impacts of ICTs in Nigeria include improving governance, public institutions, socio-
economic inclusion, and overall social welfare. ICTs can facilitate democratic processes and increase
citizen participation through greater communication and information dissemination through social
networking sites, e-mail, and mobile phones. E-government can improve democratic processes and
encourage citizen feedback, while fostering communities of empowered citizens and new roles
government underpinned by ICTs.The positive social impacts of ICTs in Nigeria include improving
governance, public institutions, socio-economic inclusion, and overall social welfare. ICTs can facilitate
democratic processes and increase citizen participation through greater communication and information
dissemination through social networking sites, e-mail, and mobile phones. E-government can improve
democratic processes and encourage citizen feedback, while fostering communities of empowered
citizens and new roles for government underpinned by ICTs.

The internet has significantly impacted Nigeria's governance, education, and health systems. In
education, the shift from traditional textbook-based systems to lifelong learning through digital
communication, social networking, and collaborative technologies has led to a decrease in distance
between schools and home, borderless educational systems, and richer learning environments. In the
health sector, ICTs have affected health education and training, diagnostics, medical records and
information management, patient administration, and almost all aspects of healthcare policy, research,
and delivery.

In the health sector, ICTs have made it possible for rural health workers to receive and transmit
information about disease outbreaks, their prevention, and early treatment. Healthcare delivery in
Nigeria is gradually moving towards ICT-driven mobile point-of-care devices equipped with specialized
software applications for diagnostic and treatment support for diseases. Most hospitals in Nigeria are
moving towards electronic documentation of patient information, while SMS are currently used to
authenticate the genuineness of drugs.

ICT-driven strategies are breaking barriers of distance, poverty, and scarce resources that impeded access
to healthcare services in rural Nigeria. An ICT-centric national health plan is needed in Nigeria to allow
patients to view their medical profiles online, renew prescriptions, make appointments with medical
officers, and enroll into the National Health Plan.

ICT-enabled solutions have become crucial tools in fighting poverty in Nigeria, creating employment
opportunities for millions of people and improving incomes for the poor and vulnerable. ICT-based
systems, particularly radio and television, are being used to educate the poor and rural dwellers about
government poverty reduction programs. Mobile-friendly banking products and investment avenues are
now available in Nigeria, aimed at the poorest depositors. Governments at all levels in Nigeria should
develop sustainable and affordable institutional frameworks, mechanisms, and platforms for poverty
reduction through a coordinated and innovative applications of ICTs.

ICTs provide the means of connecting the government with the people, enabling them to demand
improved service delivery. They have dramatically changed the way Nigerians interact among
themselves, particularly through social networking media, online blogs, and other platforms. This has led
to increased awareness of global best practices and standards, promoting small scale businesses and
their interactions with the public sector through integrated financial systems and other ICT-based
solutions.

Innovation is another significant benefit of ICTs, as they enable economic agents to become more
efficient, flexible, and innovative. The application of ICTs to research, learning, commerce, design,
services, logistics, banking, finance, marketing, and transportation has enabled economic agents to
become more efficient, flexible, and innovative.

The ICT revolution and forces of globalization and competition are underpinning the emergence of
modern business organizations that are lean, globally interconnected, responsive, and quality-driven.
These organizational revolutions are also diffusing beyond businesses to public and civil society
organizations.