NCC’s 8-point agenda and the Nigerian economy

Now, more than ever before, the Nigerian economy needs a life-saving machine.  Those at the helm of our affairs are looking at every direction to have one or even more to save the ailing economy. One of their areas of focus is the telecoms sector.  The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) and Chief Executive of Nigerian […]

Now, more than ever before, the Nigerian economy needs a life-saving machine.  Those at the helm of our affairs are looking at every direction to have one or even more to save the ailing economy. One of their areas of focus is the telecoms sector.
 The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) and Chief Executive of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, said the sector held the ace.
He said the telecoms operators would invest more money in the economy this year to increase what had already been invested. This, he said, would have a great impact on the ailing economy.  He said the NCC had plans to protect the small telcos to encourage more small players from entering the sector.
He revealed that five more Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) would be licensed in the next three to six months for the deployment of broadband services in the country.
Prof Danbatta, who unveiled NCC’s 8-point agenda covering 2015-2020   last week, said the regulatory agency would now be properly utilised to grow our economy, create jobs, and enhance national competitiveness through the deployment of broadband infrastructure to facilitate the roll-out of broadband services that would hold out opportunities and higher network quality of service for all Nigerians.
NCC, he said, would further facilitate broadband penetration through provision and optimisation access to and use of affordable fixed and mobile broadband in Nigeria while also improving quality of service by promoting the availability of reliable, interoperable, rapidly restorable critical ICT infrastructure that are supportive of all required services.
   “We are going to optimise usage and benefits of spectrum by maximising the availability of spectrum in order to provide diverse and affordable ICT services and ensuring that spectrum acquisition does not distort marketing competition while also promoting  ICT innovation and investment opportunities. By this, ICT innovations will be promoted in ways that improve the nation’s ability to compete in the global economy, increased investment in youth and promotion of SMEs for new business delivery breakthroughs,” he said.
He also revealed that the NCC would facilitate strategic collaboration and partnership with relevant stakeholders to foster ICT for sustainable economic development and social advancement in the country.
The NCC boss said: “Wealth creation through application of human knowledge and creativity is steadily outpacing wealth creation through extraction and processing of natural resources. Knowledge has increasingly become an important means for value creation. Hence, with globalisation and the technological revolution of the last few decades, knowledge has clearly become the key driver of competitiveness and is now profoundly reshaping the patterns of the world’s economic growth and activity.”
He maintained that “the policy goals of the Nigerian Communications Commission recognise the immense socio-economic importance of ICTs to national development, and therefore seeks to ensure that the infrastructure necessary to provide ubiquitous broadband services is available and accessible to all citizens at affordable rates. Broadband is the next frontier in the ICT industry, which will help in the speedy transformation of the Nigerian economy.”
He added, “This Strategic Vision 2015-2020 responds to this by setting out the foundations for future growth and competitiveness that will be sustainable and inclusive, and which would address our principal societal challenges as a nation.”