Stories Olabisi Olaleye
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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given reasons why it adopted an eight point agenda for the telecommunications industry.
The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, who outlined the reasons said it was basically meant to create an enabling environment job creation service quality improvement, boosting broadband penetration and taking the industry to enviable heights.
NCC is the independent National Regulatory Authority for the telecommunications industry in Nigeria. The Commission is responsible for creating an enabling environment for competition among operators in the industry as well as ensuring the provision of qualitative and efficient telecommunications services throughout the country.
This strategic vision 2015-2020, Danbatta explained, is premised on eight pillars guided by the change mantra of President Muhammadu Buhari, including facilitating broadband penetration, improvement of quality of service, optimising usage of benefits of spectrum and promoting ICT innovation and investment opportunities. He said the process will facilitate strategic collaboration and partnership, promote fair competition and inclusive growth, ensure regulatory excellence and operational efficiency, as well as protect and empower consumers.
Said he: “Our mission is to promote innovation, investment, competition, and consumer empowerment in and on top of the communications platforms of today and the future maximising the power of information and communications technology to grow our economy, create jobs and enhance national competitiveness through the deployment of broadband infrastructure to facilitate rollout of broadband services that will hold out opportunities and higher network quality of service for all Nigerians.
The EVC also disclosed that the vision anchors on eight pillars premised on three ‘A’s, which are the hallmarks of universal access and service, including Availability of service, Accessibility of service, and Affordability of service. While noting that there is need to make opportunities real for all Nigerians, especially the young people who are already shaping the future through innovation. We believe that Nigeria has the potential to gain a global competitive edge in innovation. What we need is to work together to gain the extra momentum that is necessary and invaluable for the successful realisation of our vision as an industry.
He reiterated that the term Connect 2020 is a global framework for action in the ICT sector set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to foster sustainable change in the ICT sector by year 2020.
“It is hinged on three key goals that are part of the proposed 2016-2019 ITU Strategic Plan which sets high-level impact representing the change in the ICT sector that we all – as a Union, want to see in the world. The proposed vision, is an information society, empowered by the interconnected world, where telecommunication/ICTs enable and accelerate social, economic and environmentally sustainable growth and development for everyone”.
The EVC also revealed that the process for the development of this five-year Strategic Vision has taken a lot of effort and time, and I am confident that this final output is a good roadmap to guide our operations in the Commission for the next five years.
He further stated that wealth creation was of paramount importance to the economy, especially as knowledge has become key driver in the economy. “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 globalization 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”.
Meanwhile stakeholders in the industry are eagerly awaiting the NCC’s wonder agenda that will change the face of the telecoms sector.
Over the years NCC has earned a reputation as a foremost Telecom regulatory agency in Africa. The Commission hopes to catalyse the use of ICT’s for enabling different aspects of national development. He said the Commission has initiated several programmes including the State Accelerated Broadband Initiative (SABI) and Wire Nigeria Project (WIN) to help stimulate demand and accelerate the uptake of ICT tools and services necessary for the enthronement of a knowledge society in Nigeria.
In order to achieve its mandate, the Commission had said, it has put in place various strategies that will enable it become a responsive, world-class communications regulatory organization that promotes a market driven communications industry that fosters universal access to Information and Communications Technology for all Nigerians.