DIGITAL Disasters come in shape and sizes. The entire nation may be plunged into a national emergency if her Central Bank Data is wiped off or infected by incurable worms and virus.  The Aviation Industry may find it impossible to guarantee the safety of incoming International flights if a major Databank fails - and may lead to the grounding of all operations at our airports.

National Population and Census information may be affected. So can the digital health care and electoral records also be damaged.  The Stock Exchange may collapse if there is no fail-over network. All these will present a nightmare to any nation in the knowledge society, if the e-Readiness plans are not well grounded. Speed is the common denominator for success in IT development and delivery.

However, experience has shown that we have been very slow and seemingly reactionary in the implementation process of the National Policy for Information Technology. I feel greatly concerned as the pioneer and one of the originating champions of the National IT Policy that for more than seven years, no IT Framework and/or IT Infrastructure Security Bill has been passed! No Board of the established Agency is in place. No IT Research Foundation is set up. No Software Corridor and/or knowledge Park established. Information Technology was entirely left out in the national development Agenda! Due to the fact that the core features of IT is clothed with “speed”, it therefore becomes imperative to act fast and decisively to save this nation from the negative impact that will inevitably befall “Digitally porous” Societies of the future.

There is an urgent need for concerted drive for generating Information Technology awareness nationwide. IT diffusion should be multi-pronged with extensive coverage of the media, shared costs of training programmes for public and industry and access to necessary tools. Implementation of demonstration and pilot projects that visibly improve the quality of services to public utilities is capable of bringing technology usage closer to the people.

Undoubtedly, developing and sustaining software exports will not be possible without a vibrant domestic market. Market forces alone are incapable of accelerating the development of informatics technology - due to its fast pace - government must therefore bring forth the political will to shore-up IT development. Government is the catalyst. It is time to look at the overwhelming benefits of: the Internet within the angle-view of e-business. e-education, e-governance and nanotechnology..

Computers and Internet connectivity in every school and colleges throughout the country within the next five years is feasible and should be implemented. We must prepare now to begin the shift from mass consumption to mass creativity and production  - applying and using information technology. To do this, we must re-engineer the entire educational system and empower the youths with IT Tools and facilities.

We must also start now to consciously prepare for the production of a minimum of 300,000 IT-related Engineering students annually from our universities and polytechnics. Core attention should be placed in Mathematics, English, Physics and Statistics. Needless to state that Research, Design and Development (RD&D) is fundamental and a strategic imperative. A Digital Research Village is urgently needed. Special grants should be given to IT Companies willing to re-locate their operational sites or create new branches within the vicinity of our universities - this is absolutely necessary, if we must bridge the gap of theory-only student material.