Computer Village: Oyo State plans to get its own

The Oyo State Commissioner for Industry, Applied Science and Technology, Mr. Dapo Lam-Adesina, has said the government is planning to establish a computer village in Ibadan and that his ministry is already discussing with experts on how to develop the Information and Communication Technology sector in the state.

Speaking with ocbviber in Ibadan, Lam-Adesina described the ICT industry as a fast-growing sector in the state, with capacity to create more than one million jobs if given the right attention.

He said, "The state government is doing a lot to turn around the Ministry of Industry by introducing modern technology. We also believe that one of the ways to be relevant in the fast-growing world of modern technology is to establish a market for it and make it viable.

"To do this, we are making plans to establish a computer village in Ibadan, which will have the outlook of what we have in Lagos. But we are looking at a larger market and that is why we are going to secure a large piece of land in an easily assessable environment where the market will be situated."

The commissioner said his ministry was already talking with stakeholders in the ICT industry, adding that graduates of computer science would be encouraged to be part of the plan, adding that the state would host a technology fair in 2014.
Lam-Adesina said, "There is a lot going on in the industry because it is a vast market that can offer millions of jobs for the people of the state. Along the major streets in Ibadan and other cities in the state, there are many people operating on small scale initiatives; it will be a good idea if we can bring them together and create more business opportunities for the state and the operators.

"There are many graduates of computer technology in the state and they will be encouraged to take active part so that they can also become employers of labour. We are having a science and technology fair next year where the likes of Microsoft and other giant stakeholders in the industry will have the opportunity to showcase their products."