Acknowledgements

The necessity for a national Information Technology (IT) policy became more obvious after the participation of the Nigerian delegation in the first African Development Forum on the Challenge to Africa of Globalisation in the Information Age held in Addis Abba in October 1999. As a result, a national workshop on the National Information and Communication Infrastructure was held in Abuja in March 2000.

In parallel, professional bodies including Computer Association of Nigeria (COAN), Information Technology Association of Nigeria (ITAN) and the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPN) submitted draft IT policy proposals. More efforts followed and culminated in the production of a master plan for the development of a national ICT program "ICT 2000" during the term of Chief Ebitimi Banigo as Honourable Minister of Science and Technology.

President Olusegun Obasanjo has identified Information Technology as a national priority and his enthusiastic commitment has helped tremendously in the timely production of this policy document. Likewise, the present Honourable Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Turner T. Isoun provided the motivation, support and mobilisation to complete this critical task in such a short time.

Special thanks to the chairman of the policy drafting committee, Professor G.O. Ajayi who provided able guidance and the members, Professor S.A. Sanni, Mr. Chris Uwaje, Mr. Abdul-Hakeem Ajijola and Mr. Alexej von Radloff who together worked very hard to produce this valuable document for our national development. Additionally thanks are extended to the various support staff involved in the process. 

In case some names have been inadvertently missed out we would like to apologise in advance.