Earlier this month, leading indigenous technology giant, Zinox Technologies won the contract worth over N85bn to digitally drive the fast approaching 2023 national census using latest technology; the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) device.
Otherwise, the Federal Government through the National Population Commission (NPC) signed the landmark deal with Nigeria’s leading integrated technology brand, Zinox Technologies to serve as the technical partner supplying the needed technical devices and supports for the Census.
Whereas the development has further justified President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s commitment on local content promotion, it is important to look at how the technology works.
Fact checks by Business Hilights and exclusive interviews with the engineers that developed the technology at Zinox showed that the cutting-edge advantages of the PDA among other things is it encrypted with census questionnaire and maps to direct enumerators to assigned enumeration areas.
With this feature, NPC staff would not be seen clutching large forms, writing materials and the likes during the counting period. PDAs are rechargeable and charged ones can last very well.
Population census experts say this feature is unprecedented as it will make the functions of both staff and adhoc staff of NPC to work with very minimal stress.
Accordingly, the device has been hailed as a key component in the conduct of the exercise that would not only meet global standards, but equally ensure accuracy of data collected.
Underlining the above during the presentation of the device in Lagos, the NPC Chairman noted that the 2023 census would signal a new dawn in housing and human headcount in Nigeria as there would be no over-counting or under-counting, adding that the devices, when commissioned with the forms, maps and other digital enhancements, would ensure that enumerators are unable to go beyond the areas assigned to them.
In addition, he commended Zinox for the dedication, commitment and huge capacity displayed in the way it has commenced execution of the contract.
He noted that the software (App) that would be deployed to enable and activate the PDAs was locally developed, thus fulfilling President Buhari’s Executive Order on local content, as well as the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) regulation on Local Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in the procurement of the PDA devices.
According to Isa Kwarra, “With all enhancements that the National Population Commission is provisioning the devices with, e.g, the Mobile Device Management, we can monitor the enumerators on the field and ensure that the data provided by Nigerians are secured and well managed for their privacy.
‘‘The geospatial resources that NPC has acquired will be deployed on the devices. This will ensure that all Nigerians are counted where they are and live. We will also be able to collect statistics on housing type and characteristics for better physical and social planning by government for the nation.
‘‘The homeless will be counted, tied to their usual place of abode, referenced with geo-coordinates; the Special Population: nomads, migrants, people in transit, etc, will be counted with geo-reference to where they are found at the time of the Census. Everyone will be counted because all Nigerians count,” he averred.
Even as Nigerians and industry stakeholders continue to hail Zinox technologies on the feat, It would be recalled that the indigenous giant has been rising to the occasion in saving escalating situations in the life of this nation that needs urgent digital solution after all.
Going down memory lane, it was Zinox that rescued the nation’s voter registration exercise in 2006 and 2010 when big foreign tech companies contracted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could not deliver as scheduled.
Zinox used its Z-Pad smart device to lay the foundation for Nigeria’s digital democracy upon which INEC is building on today. The smooth execution of the over $200m INEC contract in 2010 added impetus to the profile of Zinox as a strong indigenous company with capacity and competence.
It could be recalled that Zinox introduced automation of Nigerian elections, first with the introduction of the Direct Data Capture (DDC) machines which helped to clean up the nation’s voter register and later the card reader which enhanced credibility of elections in Nigeria in recent years.
It is also on record that Zinox had executed major projects offshore in Guinea Bissau, The Gambia and the Arab nations through partnerships.
