Quality software development will be crucial for growing Nigeria’s digital economy, according to the Federal Government through Prof. Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.
Pantami made the statement at the first Software Testing Conference in Nigeria, which was held in Lagos and had as its theme “Impact of Software Quality Assurance in the Nigerian Digital Economy” (NGSTQB).
Jim Ovia, who was the chairman of NSDI at the time, estimated the scale of Nigeria’s software industry to be over N15 billion, with an estimated import value of software products of $900 million, about ten years ago.
Pantami remarked at the meeting that the significance of software for global development cannot be overstated and that it therefore powers the majority of advances in all fields and dimensions of life, as well as the hardware.
“If you look at the world’s advancement in the Internet economy, transportation, financial services, power, cyber security and many life endeavours; software is the secret to that success. I can categorically say that the world would not have achieved much if there was no invention of software.
“The article by Jeff Lawson in the Harvard Business Review argued that in the digital economy, your software is your competitive advantage.”
“He said ‘many companies respond to digital competition by embracing methodologies like agile, building ‘innovation centres,’ acquiring startups, or outsourcing app development to consulting firms. But the true disruptors know that in the digital economy, whoever builds the best software wins. Companies that want to compete for the need to empower their developers and adopt a ‘software mindset,” he said.
He contends that any nation seeking to prosper in the age of the digital economy must make the same case.
“We have seen the implication of this during the COVID-19 pandemic. The technology (especially ICT) industry, which is powered by software benefited the most. The industry’s growth skyrocketed.”
However, one of the biggest problems the software business is currently facing, according to the Minister, who spoke through Dr. Falilat Jimoh, is issues with quality.
He cited a survey from Synopsis Inc. in the U.S. that found that many organizations let software quality fall behind other goals, but that this neglect has a high cost.
“In 2020, the cost of poor software quality in the U.S. was approximately $2.08 trillion. That is why software quality assurance and testing is a big industry today. According to a comprehensive research report by Market Research Future (MRFR), ‘Software Quality Assurance Market information by Solution, by Deployment, by Organization Size and Region has been forecast to reach $14.01 billion market size by 2027.”
He contends that in order to fully benefit from the role the software industry will play in the expansion of the digital economy, it is necessary to address the issues that can impede software quality without obstructing our joint progress in this area.
Therefore, Pantami stated that the first Software Testing Conference’s subject was: ‘Impact of Software Quality Assurance in the Nigerian Digital Economy’ is apt as effective software quality assurance in the Nigerian Digital Economy will greatly impact the digital economy’s accelerated growth.’
According to the minister, the ICT sector made three previously unheard-of contributions to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the last three years: 14.07 percent in the first quarter of 2020; 17.92 percent in the second quarter of 2021; and 18.44 percent in the second quarter of 2022. This has demonstrated how significantly the digital economy can support the traditional economy.
