Global Software Development: Challen ges and Opportunities in Nigeria

To God be all the glory. I am grateful to our Chancellor, Dr. David Oyedepo and the Management Team of this University led by our amiable VC, Professor C. K. Ayo for allowing me to deliver this public lecture today. Today‘s lecture investigates the possibilities of sub-Saharan Africa as a sourcing destination in the software field. To find out the reasons why sub-Saharan African countries in general and Nigeria in particular are not considered a destination for global software development projects. In the study that led to this lecture, a set of professionals from Europe and Africa were interviewed. Results indicate that there are many disadvantages and difficulties impeding Nigeria from becoming a preferred sourcing destination. The main ones are the absence of a strong software industry and the concerns about legislative, fiscal and commercial premises. On the other hand, it is observed that there are also relevant added values and competitive advantages in Nigeria (English-speaking country, same time zone and cost) and, therefore, it can become a potential target for software development outsourcing in the medium and long term