e-business - New Opportunities, New Thinking, New Skills

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e-business and the New Economy

The new economy is creating new opportunities. But are the people aware? The mindset, the new thinking is just as important as ICT infrastructure and technology developments. The new economy requires a real and strong public demand for the new technologies and e-business. What is the level of digital literacy? Is ICT or e-business a priority as you battle to face the harsh reality of poverty? What is the ICT and e-business culture in Nigeria? Is the promotion of technology education a priority? Is raising the general public awareness about these opportunities a priority? Do the people and institutions realize the need to be agile, open to change as well as the need to have the ability to exploit opportunity?

Unfortunately many, including policy makers, aren’t aware of the linkage between ICT and productivity – how ICT can make individuals and organizations more productive. The knowledge society has created a tremendous need for educated, competent and creative individuals but the often pressing and immediate needs of people hide the true reality. The immediate needs of many in society are food on the table – but what about empowerment? Lack of education and understanding of e-business are in fact the greatest barriers to be overcome if a country must participate meaningfully in the knowledge economy and engage successfully in e-business.

New Thinking

What is the new thinking for the new knowledge economy? What new models and paradigms are needed to develop and grow the knowledge economy in Nigeria? Awareness helps with the new thinking. There is very little e-business and ICT awareness. It’s often a battle of ideas. “Why should I invest in ICT when I barely make ends meets on my salary?” “Why should I bother, I can’t even use a computer?” You can’t have new age development by dressing up a dinosaur in the clothes of ICT. While we must engage in sustenance for today, we must also think of tomorrow by making sense of things happening. When we make sense of things happening we can make things happen.

It’s easy to be distracted by the noises and challenges of reality, but we can’t afford to be prisoners to reality. Old thinking makes it impossible to have a true picture of what is going on in the knowledge economy. Old thinking stops people from going the extra mile to learn about new developments. Old thinking rejects and fears technology and new knowledge. On the other hand, new thinking requires an awareness of ICT and e-business benefits, opportunities, technology solutions, laws, regulations and best practices. Thinking affects the ability to key in and take advantage, of challenges and opportunities in the environment. It’s not just consumers, but employers, entrepreneurs, managers and policy makers in Nigeria need to have a deeper understanding and awareness of what the new economy brings.

Bread or Future

Bread and butter issues are critical for survival but to grow and to secure the future the populace must be aware and empowered. For a country like Nigeria the current era presents an opportunity to leap from the present state of developmental inadequacy to the knowledge economy. Is ICT and e-business regarded as a priority by the vast majority in the rural areas, the unemployed and the small businesses that dominate the private sector landscape or is demand only from the “usual suspects” – the large corporate organizations, working professionals and the urban rich? The knowledge economy isn’t about digital elitism; rather it is about digital inclusion. The Information Society shouldn’t exclude those already disadvantaged in society. It is about closing societal gaps and divides – gender, digital, rural / urban, poor / rich, formal / informal sector, first world / third world, etc.

There are challenges but it is your level of awareness, quality of skills and most importantly your thinking that will determine the quality of response to the challenges of the knowledge-based economy. 

Other than awareness, what issues must be addressed to get people to tap into to benefits of the knowledge era? Are we doing enough to maximize our potentials? What must individuals and businesses do to be productive and competitive?

e-business will not happen until the majority of people have ICT and e-business skills. Period!

The Need for ICT and e-business skills

Information is a critical resource, infrastructure is essential but people are the most important resource in today's global knowledge-based economy. People will drive the knowledge economy. It is the knowledge, skills, ideas and creative efforts of people that lead to innovation. The main source of value and competitive advantage in the new economy is human and intellectual capital.

How do we ensure the availability of quality human capital - people that can not only meet the demands of keeping up with technological changes, but also can drive change and innovation?

Countries that are forward-looking in the realm of ICT development have an interest in empowering their citizens with ICT and e-business skills. The people are the future so they must be equipped with skills for the future - skills for the digital age. Education and training are fundamental to the widespread and effective use of new technologies.

Success in the knowledge driven economies of the developed world have been due to the quality of the human capital. Intellectual capital is the greatest strength of nations that are making serious headway in this era. The new economy has created a tremendous need for competent individuals. Infrastructure, connectivity, even access is nothing without the right skills.

There is no alternative to developing high quality human capital. You can't control or exploit what you don't know or understand. Ensuring quality human resource development for all is the only guarantee that ICT will be pro people and will be of benefit. 

It's about having the ability to exploit ICTs. In Nigeria, in addition to addressing the low level of e-business awareness, there is a need to encourage the massive development and growth of education and training in e-business and ICT.

By 

Jide Awe

Jide Awe is the Founder of Jidaw.com (http://www.jidaw.com)   

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