Information and Communication Technology as a Tool for Creating Job Opportunities in Nigeria
Chapter One
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The following are the objectives for this study:
- To determine if Information communication and technology (ICT) can be used as a tool for creating job opportunities in Nigeria.
- To identify various types of jobs that can be created with the use of Information communication and technology (ICT).
- To identify the detrimental effect of Information communication and technology (ICT) use on Nigerian youths.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Most developing nations have embarked on various reforms that encourage the use of ICTs in their economies. These reforms tend to yield little or minimal benefits to economic growth and development, especially when compared with the developed countries of the world. Technological advancement is known to impact fast rate of economic development. In Nigeria, policy on adoption of Information and Communication Technologies was initiated in 1999, when the civilian regime came into power of government. The operations of the licensed telecommunication service providers in the country has created some well-felt macroeconomic effects in terms of job creation, faster delivery services, reduced transport costs, greater security and higher national output. This study intends to determine if Information communication and technology (ICT) can be used as a tool for creating job opportunities in Nigeria, identify various types of jobs that can be created with the use of Information communication and technology (ICT) and to identify the detrimental effect of Information communication and technology (ICT) use on Nigerian youths.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Information and Communication Technology (ICT), is a compound term, which embodies three important concepts. To understand ICT, one must understand all three concepts (Benson 1998:01).
“Information” means many things to many people, based on the context. Scientifically, information is processed data or that which aids decision making.
Communication refers to the transfer or exchange of information from person to person or from one place to another. Researcher in the field of communication studies has defined communication as a process of transferring information, ideas, thoughts and messages. It involves a sender, a receiver, a code and, a language that is understood by both the sender and the receiver.
Technology refers to the use of scientific knowledge to invent tools that assist human beings in their efforts to overcome environmental hazards and impediments to comfort (brave 2001:02). In this regard, technology refers to the things like the computer, telephone, cell phone, GSM handsets, television, radio, etc.
Putting all this together, ICT has been defined as the acquisition, analysis, manipulation, storage and distribution of information; and the design and provision of equipment and software for these purposes. (deWatteville and Gilbert 2000)
Information Technology (I.T) is the broad subject concerned with all aspects of managing and processing information, especially within a large organization or company.
Technological progress is an important driving force behind economic growth, citizen engagement and job creation. Information and communication technologies (ICTs), especially, are reforming many aspects of a country’s economy.
Public officials, businesses and citizens of this country are working together to utilize the transformative power of ICTs to make services more efficient, speed up economic development and strengthen social networks. More than 75 percent of people around the world, Nigeria precisely now have access to a cell phone, with the number of global mobile-cellular subscriptions quickly approaching 1 billion (Anderson: 1989:00). In addition, new services and industries are gradually emerging.
THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF ICT
As it is known from time immemorial that everything in life is like the two side of a coin, there is always a positive and negative side of every phenomenon. But whether the effect is positive or negative the effects of Information Communication Technology (ICT) is far reaching and cannot be overemphasized. The Effects of ICT lens looks at how our lives have been changed, for better and for worse, by the impact of ICT. It includes both positive effects and negative effects and looks at how individual’s organizations and society are affected.
POSITIVE IMPACTS OF ICT
ICT CAN HAVE POSITIVE IMPACTS ON
- Access to information:Possibly the greatest effect of ICT on individuals is the huge increase in access to information and services that has accompanied the growth of the Internet. Some of the positive aspects of this increased access are better, and often cheaper, communications, such as VoIP phone and Instant Messaging. In addition, the use of ICT to access information has brought new opportunities for leisure and entertainment, the facility to make contacts and form relationships with people around the world, and the ability to obtain goods and services from a wider range of suppliers.
- Improved access to education, e.g. distance learning and on-line tutorials. New ways of learning, e.g. interactive multi-media and virtual reality. New job opportunities, e.g. flexible and mobile working, virtual offices and jobs in the communications industry.
- New tools, new opportunities: The second big effect of ICT is that it gives access to new tools that did not previously exist. A lot of these are tied into the access to information mentioned above, but there are many examples of stand-alone ICT systems as well:
- a) ICT can be used for processes that had previously been out of the reach of most individuals, e.g. photography, where digital cameras, photo-editing software and high quality printers have enabled people to produce results that would previously required a photographic studio.
- b) ICT can be used to help people overcome disabilities. e.g. screen magnification or screen reading software enables partially sighted or blind people to work with ordinary text rather than Braille.
NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF ICT ON PEOPLE
- Job loss:One of the largest negative effects of ICT can be the loss of a person’s job. This has both economic consequences, loss of income, and social consequences, loss of status and self esteem. Job losses may occur for several reasons, including: Manual operations being replaced by automation. e.g. robots replacing people on an assemblyline.Job export. e.g. Data processing work being sent to other countries where operating costs are lower. Multiple workers being replaced by a smaller number who are able to do the same amount of work. e.g. A worker on a supermarket checkout can serve more customers per hour if a bar-code scanner linked to a computerized till is used to detect goods instead of the worker having to enter the item and price manually
- Reduced personal interaction:Being able to work from home is usually regarded as being a positive effect of using ICT, but there can be negative aspects as well. Most people need some form of social interaction in their daily lives and if they do not get the chance to meet and talk with other people they may feel isolated and unhappy.
- Reduced physical activity: A third negative effect of ICT is that users may adopt a more sedentary lifestyle. This can lead to health problems such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Many countries have workplace regulations to prevent problems such as repetitive strain injury or eyestrain, but lack of physical exercise is rarely addressed as a specific health hazard.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
This chapter covers the description and discussion on the various techniques and procedures used in the study to collect and analyze the data as it is deemed appropriate.
Thus, the following areas will be treated: Research design, sources of data, sampling method, research instruments, reliability and validity of the study, administration of research instrument, description of data analysis and coding procedure.
RESEARCH DESIGN
The research design used for this study was the descriptive research design. Since data characteristics were described using frequencies and percentages, and no manipulations of data or variables were necessary, the researcher chose this research design. The researcher discarded other alternatives such as the causal and explanatory research designs, because accurate findings and data analysis may not be achieved.
STUDY AREA
Lagos State University in South-West Nigeria was the study area for this research. Since the area contains a fairly large number computer science lecturers, the researcher saw it as a good area to conduct the study, since the findings from the study will to an extent reflect the true view of the contributions and promotion of small and medium scale enterprises in Nigeria.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
The population for this study is computer science lecturers of the Lagos state university. The population figure for the study was 15 lecturers.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
This chapter is devoted to the presentation, analysis and interpretation of the data gathered in the course of this study. The data are based on the number of copies of the questionnaire completed and returned by the respondents. The data are presented in tables and the analysis is done using the chi-square test.
CHAPTER FIVE
FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
The objectives of the study were to
- To determine of ICT can be used as a tool for creating jobs opportunities in Nigeria.
- To identify various types of jobs that can be created using ICT.
- To identify the detrimental effect of ICT use on Nigerian youths.
Findings from the study revealed the following:
- The ICT sector is a massive job creator.
- ICT is a viable tool for job creation in Nigeria.
- ICT has a detrimental effect on Nigerian youths.
- Nigeria has been better off since the advent of ICT.
REFERENCES
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