In a bid to resolve the challenge of quality data sourcing and collection in Nigeria, an Information Technology expert, Mr. Marcel Odiboh has suggested that the country must rethink and put in place a clear data development strategy for effective data management.
The strategy, according to Odiboh, who is the Head, IT at CWG Plc, Nigeria’s biggest System Integration Company that enables the growth, will integrate not only the effort of the Nigeria Government, but will strategically include key organizations that are already involved in data collection in Nigeria.
“For a Country like Nigeria to have an effective Data Management System, Public-Private strategic partnership is key. That is, the coming together of institutions to create a Data Management Strategy. A strategy that would clearly outline the data needs of Nigeria, the number of resources to invest and the right mechanisms that will be needed to achieve such,” Odiboh said while responding to questions from the audience as one of the panelists during the Fourth Edition of the Information Communication Technology & Telecommunications (ICTEL) Exhibition, organized by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in Lagos last week.
He added that such strategy would address the issue of quality of Data collection by asking and providing answers to questions such as who is and should be responsible for the data collection in Nigeria, where are the various data collection point in Nigeria and the quality of data collection and the methods collection. Odiboh also explained that any country that will build successfully and achieve in the coming decades must have data enshrined at the heart of its development strategy. “Countries that invest in and successfully derive value from their data will have a distinct advantage over countries that do not,” he stated.
Recall various agencies of government, including some private organisation are collecting citizens data, thereby duplication of data. This situation, some people believe is wrong, calling for a unique database of the citizens that can take care of several purposes.