The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved an Enterprise Licensing Agreement for Microsoft Products to minimise Information Technology (IT) costs in public institutions. FEC also endorsed the clearing up of C-band Spectrum, in order to accelerate the deployment of 5G services in the country. This was contained in a statement signed by Dr Femi Adeluyi, Technical Assistant (Research & Development) to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy on Thursday.
According to the statement, the approval came after the Minister, Isah Pantami, presented three memos at the meeting of the Council on Wednesday. It explained that the Government-wide Enterprise Licensing Agreement for Microsoft products is a software acquisition cost-reduction strategy for government to be implemented by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), as part of the Federal Government’s efforts towards keeping the cost of IT projects within sustainable levels. “The Agreement will give the government access to discounted prices and other cost benefits, as well as reduce project duplication across Federal Public Institutions (FPIs). It will also guarantee proper technical support for Microsoft products and services, thereby ensuring protection against cybersecurity threats, which will guarantee availability and reliability of government IT services.
