On December 8, 2000, at the National Centre for Women Development in Abuja, I made a presentation (first on such a national platform, made possible by Chris Uwaje following the recommendation of Philip Emeagwali) titled eCommerce, Nigeria and the Next Generation (available for download at www.pin.org.ng/papers/nextcommerce.doc) where I argued for the need for the empowerment of young Nigerians so that they can in turn help the economy grow. In that paper, I argued that, “It is not only enough to highlight the high points of employing the powers of our youthful populace in the present eCommerce revolution in relation to Nigeria, we should also consider what should be done in order to arrive at our destination, A New Nigeria. I have a dream. I believe that one day, the nation we have all invested in building would be unveiled before our very eyes…”

The good news I share today, 2703 days later (better later than never — and you may understand my excitement), is that the NIG I4J project will help bring that dream to pass. On May 22, as shown below, Nigerians will once again gather to discuss progress — but not as usual. This time, it is to discuss action that is already in progress. The opportunity for any young person with brilliant ideas to get connected with resources has now been improved through the I4J effort which is already getting entries through http://i4j.nig.org.ng. It’s a multi-stakeholder effort and I trust that I can now provide assuring answers to the hundreds of young people who keep asking me, “‘Gbenga, you keep saying we should work hard to make Nigeria better, why are all our ideas either stolen or unsupported?”

I4J will match good eBusiness ideas with good resources and support towards sustainability and even if only a few of the supporte businesses break the DotBomb ceiling, a huge favour would have been done to the economy. Details follow, and I’ll be discussing Part II of my December 8, 2000 paper under a new title, “Between eCommerce and Yahoo! Yahoo!” Please spread the news, and we look forward to the days when we will begin to celebrate Nigeria’s own thriving eCommerce businesses; in those days, the average graduate will not leave school with a CV in hand to beg for a job, but with a business plan seeking investors to take his student-day eBusiness to the next level.

NIGERIA INTERNET GROUP (NIG)

in Collaboration with

NCC, NITDA and ZENITH BANK

hosts

A ONE-DAY SEMINAR ON INTERNET FOR JOBS (I4J) INITIATIVE

THEME: “Internet For Jobs: Creating Jobs by Promoting eCommerce”

Venue: Golden Gate Restaurant 25B, Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos

Date: Thursday May 22, 2008

Time: 09:00 am – 05:00 pm

Chairman Of The Occasion: Engr. Olawale Ige (MFR), Chairman, NIG Board of Trustees and
Former Honourable Minister of Communications

Welcome Address: Engr. Lanre Ajayi, President, Nigeria Internet Group/CEO PiNet Informatics

Good Will Messages: Engr Yomi Bolarinwa (Director General, National Broadcasting Commission), Dr Nike Osofisan (President of CPN), Prof Charles Uwadia (President, NCS), Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem (President, ATCON), Dr. Jimson Olufuye, (President, ITAN) and Mr. Gbenga Adebayo (President, ALTON)

Special Guests of Honour: Hon. Minister of Science and Technology; Hon. Minister of State, Information and Communications; Hon. Commissioner, Science and Technology, Lagos State

Keynote Addresses: Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, EVC / CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); Prof. C. O. Angaye, Director General, NITDA

TOPICS
– Setting up a successful eCommerce service:Types, Portal development, Marketing, Personnel, Financing
– Taking advantage of I4J as a Beneficiary or a Sponsor
– Ecommerce business: A more rewarding alternative to Internet scam (419) [Hint: You shouldn’t miss this, and it may sound more like, “Between eCommerce and Yahoo! Yahoo!” on May 22. See you there!]
– eCommerce and Jobs Creation- The linkage
– Banks roles in promoting eCommerce
– Mobile phone network infrastructure as a platform for eCommerce
– Promoting eCommerce as a way to create jobs
– e-Payment system a prerequisite for eCommerce
– Creating an appropriate legal framework for eCommerce in Nigeria

Participation: Interested individuals should register by sending emails or call numbers below. We have limited seats, so register now to secure a seat. Registration is FREE.

For further enquiries please contact:
NIG Secretariat 7, Olayinka Bamgbose Street, Off Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos
Tel: 234 1 8709731, +234 1 8504062, 08023190067
Email: nigeriainternetgroup@yahoo.com
URL: www.nig.org.ng
I4J Website: http://i4j.nig.org.ng