NITDA Warns IT Service Providers Against Poor Services

IT NEWS NIGERIA

National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has issued a stern warning to Information and Technolonogy (IT) Service Providers against poor service delivery standards in the country, a statement said Monday.

A release signed by Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Director General of Agency added that the NITDA has been receiving complaints from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA), other government establishments, the organised private sector and individual consumers of IT goods and services on the poor quality of services being rendered by Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Electronic Commerce platforms, Software vendors, IT enabled service providers such as Financial Technology Service Providers (FTSPs), Payment Terminal Service Providers (PTSPs), Payment Solutions Service Providers (PSSPs), Business Process Outsourcing Service Providers (BPOSPs) and other IT goods and service providers.

An assessment carried out by the Agency confirms that such complaints are largely true. While NITDA is working with critical stakeholders to ensure an excellent working environment for both indigenous and foreign IT goods and service providers, the Agency is also making efforts to ensure that Nigerians are satisfied with IT goods and services consumed.

The Agency, therefore, will do all it can to enforce the rights of consumers who are being underserved by the substandard services they receive from such providers.

The poor quality of some IT goods and services is adversely affecting the economy. Some businesses have had to pack up as the value derived from IT was not commensurate with IT investments. Additionally, some MDAs have been repeating expenses on IT goods and services in every budget year because of the poor quality of earlier purchased software and hardware. This has constituted an unsustainable drain on the nation’s resources.

We are therefore calling on both indigenous and foreign IT goods and service providers to pay attention to quality and customer satisfaction. Terms of license acquisition, Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and contracts with clients and customers must be strictly adhered to. The Agency is setting mechanism in place to monitor compliance and would facilitate the blacklisting perennial defaulters, prosecute them and ensure remedy for consumers.

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is an Agency under the Federal Ministry of Communications. The Agency was created in April 2001 to implement the Nigerian Information Technology Policy and co-ordinate general IT development and regulation in the country. Specifically, Section 6(a & c) of the Act mandates NITDA to create a framework for the planning, research, development, standardization, application, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and regulation of Information Technology practices, activities and systems in Nigeria; and render advisory services in all information technology matters to the public and private sectors.