Follow Us on Google
By Henry Uche, Lagos
In a bid to bring young people up to date with available knowledge in the Telecom and technology industry, the Telecommunication and Technology Sustainability Working Group (TTSWG), has set in its agenda for the year to partner with Covenant University, Kings University, and University of Maiduguri to offer internship opportunities that would help matchmake undergraduates with telecommunication and technology companies.
The TTSWG Secretariat gave this update during its members and Stakeholders Annual Parley recently, with the theme, ‘Sip and Tech’.
TTSWG, a consortium of key stakeholders and professionals synergising to promote sustainability in the sector, urged the federal government to harmonise policies to promote Sustainability technology and telecommunications and channeled toward enabling sustainability.
At the event, representatives of the TTSWG Secretariat gave an update on the activities of the group through the year 2022, which include the release of two publications – Tech for Good Initiatives in Nigeria, and Equitable Access to Assistive Technology in Nigeria, both available on the TTSWG.org website, and hosting three webinars, including one on ‘Wellbeing as a Hallmark of Sustainability in Tech’.
The need to bridge the gap between generations and get more young people involved in driving sustainability, and the need for Nigeria’s ICT sector to be innovative in its approach to sustenance was emphasised.
Speaking on sustainability within the sector, Mr. Edward Fagbohun, Manager, Sustainability and Impact Reporting, MTN Foundation, remarked, “Africa is the next hub for ICT innovations and Nigeria is the frontrunner in that regard. Being sustainability-focused helps us as individuals in the industry to focus on the three pillars of Sustainability – People, Planet, and Profit and ethically do business.”
President, CSR-in-Action, a sustainability consultancy & advocacy firm, and Lead Consultant for TTSWG, Bekeme Olowola, stated that, “We need to be proactive on the matter of sustainability as an industry.
The technology and the telecommunications industry might not be the first on people’s minds when they think of sustainability but we know that although the negative effect of our activities as an industry might not be conspicuous, they exist and they require attention before they become a matter of emergency,” he maintained.
Among those who attended the Sip and Tech event were professionals from Hewlett Packard (HP) Inc., 9mobile, MTN, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Amazon Web Services Nigeria Limited, Quomodo Systems Limited, IHS Towers, Zenera Consulting, and CSR-in-Action, the secretariat for TTSWG.
