L-R: Olamide Ali-Balogun, Officer, Consumer Affairs Bureau, Lagos Zonal Office; Amaka Agwaniru, Principal Manager, Public Affairs; Dr. Henry Nkemadu, Director, Public Affairs; Phillip Eretan, Head, Internal Audit and Yakubu Musa, Special Adviser to Executive Vice Chairman on Media, all of NCC during the programme.

Upon its resolve that digitisation is key to unlocking economic prosperity, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has promised to promote and facilitate the expansion of broadband infrastructure that will stimulate the provision of e-products and e-services across Nigeria.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, stated this in a keynote address entitled: Digital Nigeria: The Path to Sustainable Economic Growth’, which he delivered at the at the Business Journal 2nd Annual Lecture and Awards, held on Friday, September 20, 2019 at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

Speaking during the Lecture, the EVC, represented at the event by the Commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Dr. Henry Nkemadu, noted that through appropriate regulatory interventions and conducive regulatory environment for increased private sector investment and expansion of economic activities, the NCC will encourage the digitisation of information to be transformed into business and economic activities that drive national growth and development.

“The economic diversification of the Nigerian economy will give impetus for increased mobilisation of all resources and increased revenues accruable to government. This will cause an exponential increase in productive activities in industry, manufacturing, infrastructure development, health, and agriculture to stimulate growth and development of the Nigerian economy,” Danbatta said.

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The EVC stated that major interventions of the NCC play vital role in supporting the evolution of digital processes in various sectors of the economy. Danbatta cited the impact of digital intervention of NCC on education sector through the School Support Programmes to illustrate his point.

He said: “From setting up Public Access Points and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Training Centres, the Digital Awareness Programme (DAP), the Advanced Digital Awareness Programme for Tertiary Institutions (ADAPTI), the School Knowledge Centre (SKC), all of which have benefited over 500 schools across the country, the educational sector in Nigeria has definitely felt the digital wand of the NCC.”

Danbatta further assured that the NCC will continue to promote and facilitate universal access to ICT to ensure implementation of e-taxation, e-commerce and e-government financial sector areas, which were identified as the economic enhancement needed for sustainability of the Nigerian economy.

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“Improving user (traveler) experience such as online ticketing, boarding, and check in processes; and vehicle tracking and navigation through mobile and Internet services, are also some key examples of how telecommunications is enhancing Nigeria’s digital profile,” Danbatta said.

While stressing that the open access model which is ushering in more pervasive broadband infrastructure through the licensing of infrastructure companies (infraCos) is a key focus area of the Commission, the EVC said “this efforts will ultimately result in increased gross domestic product (GDP), increased emergence of new services and industries, increased job creation and reduction of inequality gap.”

Meanwhile, at the event, the NCC bagged the National Public Agency Brand of the Year 2018 Award with Prof. Danbatta was conferred with the National Public Servant of the Year 2018 Award.

Samson Oyedeyi