Summary and Critical Considerations.
A brief study of electronic history demonstrates that no previous advance, not the telephone, television, cable or satellite TV, the VCR, the facsimile machine or the mobile telephone, has penetrated public consciousness and secured such widespread public adoption as rapid as the Internet. Today, integrating ICT into (and as hub of) the national development is no longer a wish, but indeed mandatory for all nations of the world.

The Knowledge Revolution: The new economy is here and traditional means of responding to the challenges of national development have now become obsolete especially for a least developed country (LDC) such as Nigeria. With 42% Youth population, Nigeria is definitely a nation to reckon with in the emerging information society provided there is a conscious and fundamental shift (both in policy articulation, strategic approach and implementation actions consciously driven by political will) in her perception of incubating and rewarding knowledge.

The roadmap to the way forward is in our heads and not in the acquisition of the physical products of technology.

All Revolutions have spurned through concrete ideas and deep perception, knowledge and understanding of a particular process consisting of complex variables. And history has shown that all revolutions throw-up new leaders. For example, the Agricultural Revolution presented us with world leaders such as Egypt, China and indeed, India while the Industrial Revolution gave us Britain and the United States of America.

The character of a nation we are informed is governed by the structure, operation and management of her information systems which develop and filter into core knowledge and applications. Conventional wisdom therefore, dictates that poverty cannot and will not be eradicated by monetary grants and loans - unless a sizeable and reliable knowledge base is country-resident.

physics, nano-technology and space science as the foundation for strong RD&D programs,
which enables the development of essential industries and successful small and medium scale enterprise (SME) sector. (adapted from African Technology Policy Studies ATPS A Science Agenda from an African Perspective by Turner T Isoun Nigeria's former Hon. Minister of Science and Technology)

Internet And Future Possibilities

Internet and the IT wave is not just going to pass away so quickly, rather it would shape and control the future! It has the capacity of holding on for a century. But compared to other forms of developments within the material sciences and astronomy, it is just a baby when you look at the stars; there are lots of things that are yet to come, but IT will empower all of these things. There is going to be an Information spectrum explosion.

Knowledge-structured and propelled Information system is at the core of our existence, not communication!

The New Economy - E-Commerce

Thanks to the Internet, entrepreneurs have suddenly discovered that their thinking potential faculties can exponentially be multiplied and maximized. E-commerce is booming! Broadband Internet access has finally become mass market in scale. Access by broadband methods, including DSL, cable modem and satellite, has reached critical mass.

Digital Click Strategies Broadband access to the Internet has become standard at most businesses and offices. Meanwhile, Tens of millions of homes in Europe and America now have broadband access. Cable modem and DSL are battling fiercely for market share.

On the wireless side, Wi-Fi is enjoying steady growth, with tens of thousands of public Wi-Fi hotspots now in operation across the world. Bluetooth has gained wide acceptance for wireless connection of networks to appliances such as printers, PDAs and cell phones.

Meanwhile, WiMax, with its low cost and range of up to 30 miles, threatens to revolutionize wireless access to the Internet. Sprint Nextel, Motorola and Intel have recently announced massive investments in WiMax. The booking of travel online is perhaps the most successful niche of all of the world's e-commerce efforts.

Consumers use the Internet to become better informed and to seek bargains. Online sites like Expedia, Priceline and Orbitz steer millions of consumers toward specific airlines and hotels in a manner that lowers prices and improves satisfaction among consumers.

Today, retailers of many shades are enjoying soaring sales via the Internet, and many retail chains have carefully developed digital click strategies that integrate their online efforts with their stores and catalogs. At the same time, many online-only retailers are finding that their revenues are growing rapidly as more and more consumers begin to rely on the convenience of shopping online.

Knowledge everywhere industry

The emergence of the Internet is creating a society that would be run by people who have tremendous skills, access and are able to receive information, to build, manipulate corporations and societies. Already in some corporate organizations, there are intelligent portals that create what is now termed Knowledge everywhere industry.