Prof. Umar Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has emphasized the Commission’s commitment to continuously drive initiatives that accelerate the deployment of digital infrastructure in order to enhance Nigeria’s economic transformation.
Danbatta reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment during his speech at the NCC Day at the recently concluded 43rd Kaduna International Trade Fair, which was organized by the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (KADCCIMA).
Speaking on the event’s overarching theme, “Strategizing the Nigerian Economy for Global Competitiveness,” in the context of the Commission’s regulatory activities, the EVC, who was represented by a Senior Manager at the Commission, Attah Ogbadu, said the NCC has been at the heart of providing the digital impetus for transforming businesses and sustaining socio-economic activities in Nigeria.
According to Danbatta, many countries are contemplating ways to encourage growth and create new jobs as a result of the COVID-19-induced economic slowdown and ongoing volatility. “Information and communications technology (ICT) is one of the fastest-growing businesses since it creates millions of employment and is thus a facilitator of innovation and socio-economic growth,” Danbatta added.
The EVC further stated that, while the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it its own set of issues, the Commission has continued to work diligently with various stakeholders to determine how more businesses might utilize digital platforms in order to deliver their services to consumers.
He explained that, in addition to accelerating digital infrastructure, NCC is focused on ensuring a level playing field for operators in order to promote investment and the delivery of innovative services to individual consumers, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and large business owners by ensuring improved consumer quality of experience.
“As a regulator, we also ensure that we constantly inform you, the consumers, on how to be protected in order to prevent cases of online fraud and otherwise ensure you do not fall victims to cybercrimes while using the internet legitimately,” Danbatta said, emphasizing NCC’s commitment to consumer protection.
Speaking at the NCC Day forum, the President of KADCCIMA, Suleiman Aliyu, who was represented by a Chamber official, Farouk Sulaiman, praised NCC for its consistent and meaningful presence and engagement at the trade show. He also stated the NCC’s commitment to boosting network coverage and consumer-centric efforts, which are having an increasingly positive influence on job creation, the rise of new services and industries, workforce transformation, and corporate innovation.
Regarding the event’s subject, Aliyu stated that it was chosen to match the government’s efforts to promote economic growth. According to Aliyu, the communications industry has a major impact on the nation’s economic activity, as seen by its contribution to the Fross Domestic Product (GDP).
“The competitiveness of Nigeria would depend on our ability to leverage new technologies in light of the rapid growth of the number of active mobile subscriptions, internet subscribers, and broadband penetration, indices of the telecom sector’s mark as one of the fastest-growing sectors in the country,” Aliyu stated.
Meanwhile, the majority of telecom consumers, who attended the trade fair, also visited the NCC Day event and the NCC corner of the Exhibition Group of the KADCCIMA. There, officials of NCC’s Consumer Affairs Bureau educated the enthusiastic consumers on the various consumer-centric initiatives instituted by the Commission to inform, educate and protect consumers.
The telecom consumers also seized the opportunity of the platform provided by NCC at the Fair, to make complaints and to resolve their service-related challenges at the NCC Stand of the Exhibition, which also housed representatives of telecoms operators who responded to the concerns of the consumers.
