By Josephine Miller
An Artificial Intelligence (AI) System Builder and Automation Specialist, Ms Mary Mmoh, says digital infrastructure remains the most critical gap holding back Nigeria’s technology ecosystem.
Mmoh said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, while responding to questions on what Nigeria needed to build a stronger technology sector.
She said reliable electricity, internet connectivity, data centres and access to cloud infrastructure were the foundations that allowed technology companies to build and scale.
She noted that Nigerian technology companies often built locally but deployed their solutions to foreign infrastructure; a development she said was expensive due to the exchange rate.
She said that it was therefore imperative for government to invest in local data centres and dedicated servers, as these would significantly reduce the cost of operating technology solutions in Nigeria.
“If the government invested in reliable, high-quality data centres and dedicated servers within Nigeria, it could significantly reduce the cost of deploying technology solutions.
“This will give local technology companies a stronger foundation to build and scale their products,” she said.
She added that access to reliable internet and affordable cloud and computing resources would further support the growth.
Mmoh also said limited access to capital and poor market reach were also major challenges facing Nigerian technology companies.
She said some companies had built genuinely useful solutions but lacked the resources to effectively market them or reach the right audience.
She noted that potential users were sometimes unaware that such solutions existed due to limited infrastructure, affordability issues and low awareness.
“One major reason promising Nigerian technology solutions struggle is limited access to resources, particularly capital and market access.
“Some technology companies may have built a genuinely useful solution, but they may not have enough resources to effectively market it or reach the right audience,” she said.
Mmoh said it was therefore imperative that both sides come together, with technology companies getting the capacity to reach their markets and potential users getting the infrastructure and awareness to adopt solutions.
She also said that government had a role to play by creating an enabling environment where emerging technology companies could grow and compete effectively.
She added that a good technology solution had a better chance of becoming a sustainable business when the right conditions were in place.
The AI expert also called for a structured research and development centre where Nigerian researchers, startups and businesses could collaborate to develop practical solutions.
She said government support would be critical, particularly in providing funding, infrastructure and opportunities to test and deploy solutions at market level.
She stressed the need for a platform that would help move useful ideas beyond research into products that could actually reach consumers.
“There should be a structured platform where Nigerian researchers, technology startups and businesses can come together to collaborate and develop practical solutions.
“Government support will also be important, particularly in providing funding, infrastructure and opportunities to test and deploy these solutions.
“Most importantly, the platform will help move useful ideas beyond research into products that can actually reach the market and consumers,” she said.
Mmoh said Nigerian startups should also think about the global market from the very beginning, building with international users in mind from the start.
She said this should include using reliable infrastructure that could support customers in different locations and offering payment options that supported different currencies.
She added that startups should also consider international data protection and regulatory requirements so their products could be easily adopted outside Nigeria.
According to her, what separates technology companies that survived changing market demands is their ability to understand user adoption and adapt continuously.
She said such companies invested in research, development and education and had stronger business capacity with access to investors that gave them room to grow.
She added that companies that faded away gradually after inaugurating their first product often lacked the capacity or willingness to keep evolving with the market.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Deborah Coker
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