Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has said that the NCC will not give up on promoting the newest and emerging technologies to energise the industry in Nigeria for the benefit of the nation and its people.
Speaking to several stakeholders at the recently ended Cyberchain Abuja 2022, Danbatta claimed that the telecom industry has been a significant driver of Nigerian economic growth, changing the way people live and work and boosting productivity across the board.
In order to encourage the sector’s greater economic contribution, Danbatta stated that the Commission is committed to promoting the deployment and adoption of emerging technologies, including the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data utilization, Blockchain, Robotics and Virtual Reality, FINTECH, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Telemedicine, among others.
He added that it is heartening that telecoms have facilitated Nigeria’s economic progress and prosperity as they significantly increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“From $500 million investments in the sector as of 2001, the telecommunications industry has recorded over $70 billion investment till date, while the growth in the sector has been phenomenal, from some 400,000 functional phone lines in 2001 to over 209 million active mobile subscriptions, achieving a teledensity of 110 per cent, as at August 2022.
“The sector has provided over 500,000 formal and informal jobs for Nigerians. From an insignificant contribution to GDP in 2001, the telecoms sector, as of the last quarter of 2021, contributed 12.61 per cent to GDP, while the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector as a group, has also contributed 18.44 per cent to GDP as at the second quarter of 2022”, he said.
“For us as a country to reap the full benefits of all these emerging technologies in ways that further spur growth in our national economy, NCC prioritises the need to improve and expand broadband infrastructure and the deployment of new technology such as the Fifth Generation of Mobile Communication (5G). Our efforts in diligently driving this will facilitate the actualization of the set targets in the Federal Government’s digital economy policy,” he said.
According to Danbatta, the country would be better able to develop a different economy for diversification, innovation, and creativity in e-commerce and digital entrepreneurship as a result of the rapid digital transformation taking place through the telecommunications sector. This would enable a sizeable portion of the population to become independent and self-employed.
