Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will launch a compendium of his landmark speeches, presentations and  unveiling of two other strategic initiatives of the Commission on September 7, 2021 in Abuja.

Titled: “Catalysing Nigeria’s Socio-Economic Transformation through Broadband Infrastructure,” the book is a compilation of carefully-selected, seminal speeches and presentations of Prof. Danbatta, touching on all strategic areas of the nation’s telecoms industry development and the entire digital economy ecosystem, since his assumption of office as the EVC/CEO of NCC in August, 2015.

Danbatta, a Professor of telecommunications engineering, accomplished academic, and seasoned administrator has made extensive speeches and presentations on a wide-range of subjects in telecoms and ICT at important national, regional and international events  since leaving the ivory tower to become the EVC of NCC in 2015.

His landmark speeches and presentations from 2015 till date have, thus, been codified in a concise collection, as a compendium, providing useful information that will significantly add value to the existing body of knowledge in the telecoms sector, and by extension, the entire Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry.

The foreword to the book has been painstakingly written by the late former Chairman, Board of Commissioners of NCC, Alhaji Ahmed Joda of blessed memory. The book will serve as a useful reference material not only for existing and prospective investors in the sector but also for researchers in the academia as well as policy analysts and others interested in any aspects of the telecom industry and regulation. The book which also chronicles important milestones attained by the Commission under Danbatta’s leadership is a compelling read.

Other strategic projects to be unveiled by the Commission alongside the compendium are the NCC’s new five year Strategic Vision Plan (SVP) 2021-2025 and the Commission’s new social media channel, the NCC’s Global Connect Podcast.

The new SVP will enable cross-functional infrastructure, ubiquitous services and deepen consumer engagement to consolidate the growth of the telecoms sector and expand the possibilities of the digital economy.

The need to develop another SVP, as a five-year implementation roadmap for the Commission, followed the expiration, in 2020, of the first SVP unveiled by Danbatta in 2016.

It has been widely acknowledged that the diligent execution of the first SVP initiative, under Danbatta, has helped to consistently lift broadband penetration, increase telephone access, boost the sector’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), enhance healthy competition in the industry, improve quality of service (QoS), as well as put the sector’s overall investment profile on an impressive growth trajectory, among others.

The ‘NCC Global Connect,” podcast is the third initiative enlisted for unveiling during the launch. The latest addition to the NCC social media spectrum will help in enhancing the Commission’s corporate communication activities within the online space. The podcast initiative was conceived in keeping with NCC’s core values of innovation and excellence;. It adds to the existing media channels, providing an inclusive medium to broaden our media platforms to educate external stakeholders on its regulatory activities irrespective of their circumstances, through audio contents.

A statement by Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, the Director, Public Affairs at NCC stated that the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, will be the Special Guest of Honour at the occasion.

Senior government officials, industry leaders and stakeholders as well as dignitaries from across the country are billed to attend the landmark event.

Mr. Bitrus Bako Nabasu, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy  recently received in audience the Ambassador-designate of Japan, His Excellency, Mr. Sadanabu Kusaote Umer and his entourage in his office in Abuja on a courtesy call.

The Permanent Secretary said it was a pleasure to have the Ambassador to interact with the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy at a time it is working assiduously towards digitising the country’s economy. He noted that the economy of Japan is being driven by modern technology and that it will be of immense benefit for Nigeria to collaborate with the Government of Japan to develop her digital economy sector which will in turn increase her Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He said that the Digital Economy added to the Communications Ministry is to enable it to digitise the economy thereby enhance economic growth, create employment especially for its teaming youths and bring about better life for the people generally.

He reiterated that to partner with Japanese Companies on Technology Development particularly in digitalisation of Nigeria’s economy is a very welcome development.

According to Mr. Nabasu, Nigeria is a mono economy of which its main source of revenue is oil and that the price of crude oil is no longer attractive in the global market, therefore Nigeria can no longer depend on oil alone to advance as a nation. He stated that the time has come to “think out of the box” by diversifying our economy in digitalisation of the nation’s economy.

He said the Ministry is looking forward to a stronger partnership with Japan’s technology companies for employment generation for its people who are unemployed, especially its youths. He noted that Nigeria is very passionate about the digitalisation of the Nigerian economy and has been working assiduously to actualise that.

Speaking earlier, the Ambassador-designate said that the purposes of Japan’s co-operation with Nigeria are numerous; first; for the realisation of a digital Society in the country; introducing digital technology for more effective and efficient development cooperation in various areas; through infrastructure development for building a digital society; supporting spontaneous development through the spread of digitalisation; and developing a secure, free and open cyber environment to ensure Nigeria’s ownership of data.

He added that other areas of co-operation include existing projects and plans for the future.

L-R: Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) and Nnanna Ude, Leader, National Assembly Business Environment RoundTable (NASSBER), Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), during the courtesy visit

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) are considering possible areas of increasing collaboration to enhance the impact and contribution of telecommunications sector on Nigeria’s socio-economic development.

This was the crux of deliberations during a courtesy visit by a delegation of the National Assembly Business Environment Round Table (NASSBER), a policy unit at NESG led by Nnanna Ude and a member of the Technical Committee of NASSBER, Yemi Keri.

The need for stakeholder collaboration and engagement between the Commission and other stakeholders in order to conduct an impact assessment and gap analysis of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003, which will lead to improvement of the legal instrument and reflect new trends, especially in a post-pandemic world, was the primary focus of the visit.

The two entities also considered synergy in the area of Research and Development (R&D); while NESG has expressed its desire to have the Commission feature prominently in the forthcoming Nigeria Economic Summit (NES), an annual summit organised by the NESG, scheduled to hold in October this year.

While receiving the delegation on behalf the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, the Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, stated that the meeting was a welcome development, as it aligns with the telecom regulator’s strategic partnership and collaboration objectives.

Adinde stated that the NCA 2003 is a robust regulatory instrument, which has given the NCC the mandate to regulate the telecom sector effectively, as seen in the contribution to the overall economic development of the country.

He stated further that, by virtue of Section 70 of the NCA 2003, the Commission has developed various regulations and issued guidelines that have helped in addressing critical issues pertaining to its regulatory activities.

Other senior management staff of the Commission, including the Director, Licensing & Authorisation, Muhammed Babajika; Director, Technical Standards & Network Integrity, Bako Wakil and representatives of the departments of Legal & Regulatory Services; Policy Competition & Economic Analysis; and Financial Services of the Commission, took turns to talk about the activities of the Commission in implementing its regulatory mandate for the benefit of the country.

Mr Babajika spoke on the licensing regime of the Commission and its impact on innovation in the economy, while Engr Wakil spoke about NCC’s regulatory efforts and collaborations with various stakeholders, such as the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) towards addressing challenges to quality of service (QoS) in telecom industry.

The impact of these challenges such as multiple taxation and regulations, fibre cuts, vandalism, high cost of Right of Way (RoW), theft of telecoms facilities and the need for the passage of the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) Bill into law.

Speaking earlier on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer of NESG, Laoye Jaiyeola; Ude acknowledged the critical role NCC is playing in the provision of essential digital support for the Nigerian economy.

He noted that, in 20 years of telecoms liberalisation, the Commission has been contributing significantly to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Ude explained that the visit was part of the efforts of the NESG to strengthen collaboration with key institutions of government such as the NCC. He extolled the role of the Commission in driving telecommunications sector growth through efficient and result-oriented regulations, noting that the impact of the regulations are evident in industry performance indicators which have shown upward trajectory over the recent years.

“The NCC is key to the digital transformation agenda of the government and we can see the footprints of the readiness of the country on that journey, in terms of the level of broadband penetration, internet subscription, teledensity and other critical indicators,” he said.

Meanwhile, Adinde, stated that the Commission was excited by the prospects of partnering with NESG and NASSBER, noting that such partnership will further enhance telecoms contribution to Nigeria’s socio-economic growth. He added that “all the issues discussed will be articulated in a memorandum, which will be submitted to Management for consideration.”

R-L: Danbatta and Mele Kyari, GMD of NNPC at the event

The Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, has identified major benefits in promoting digital literacy in the country.

Delivering the first Annual Lecture of the Bichi Emirate titled, “Digital Literacy as a Veritable Tool for Social and Economic Transformation” in Bichi, Kano State, over the weekend, Danbatta challenged actors in both public and private sectors to key into the programme.

He noted that digital literacy provides the confidence required by individual citizens to utilise digital contents and tools, adding that it also helps citizens to effectively collaborate in creating digital content and becoming innovative problem-solvers within their socio-economic ecosystem.

The EVC pointed out that technological changes have now assumed an unprecedented dimension in pace, scope and depth of impact, emphasizing that harnessing the progress is the surest path for Nigeria in her quest for economic diversification, especially the elevation of 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.

“The policy thrust of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in this direction is encapsulated in three key policy documents, namely: Nigeria National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025; the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2010-2030; and, the National Policy on Promotion of Indigenous Content in the Nigerian telecommunications sector,” Danbatta pointed out.

He said one of the underlying goals of the three policies was the development of the Nigerian economy through digital technology enhancement and increased contribution of the telecom sector to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

In demonstration of its recognition of the importance of digital literacy, Danbatta said that the NCC has, over the years, implemented various programmes to support adoption and application of digital skills in Nigeria.
The programmes, according to him, not only provide the necessary digital tools but also support the provision of digital infrastructure, training, connectivity and other incentives to facilitate the development of digital literacy skills.

Through its Projects Department and the Universal Services Provision Fund (USPF), Danbatta observed that the NCC has been providing interventions such as the School Knowledge Centres (SKC), Wireless Cloud and Base Transceiver Stations (BTS), among others, across the six geo-political zones of the country.

Speaking specifically on NCC’s interventions in Bichi Emirate, Danbatta said that, of the eight local government areas that constitute the Emirate, the Commission has, through the USPF, identified about 1,900 square kilometers of land, populated by 462,222 individuals as unserved.

“In order to cover that gap, the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) have installed 212 BTS of which 112 are Second Generation (2G)-compliant, 73 are Third Generation (3G) networks and 27 are Fourth Generation/Long Term Evolution (4G/LTE) technology, with all providing broadband connectivity which is the bedrock of digital literacy.

“The USPF has also provided interventions to secondary schools, tertiary institutions and hospitals in the emirate via its SKC, Tertiary Institutions Knowledge Centre as well as E-health initiatives; a total of seven of such projects have, so far, been executed since 2015 on my assumption as the EVC,” he explained.

Speaking further the NCC boss also harped on the Commission’s seven interventions under the Advanced Digital Awareness Programme among others, stressing that all the interventions are in line with NCC’s equitable distribution of projects across all geo-political zones in the country.

In recognition of the need to continue to foster the rapid development and growth of the Nigerian telecommunications marketplace and digital economy, the Commission established the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) in May 2004.

He noted, however, that since its creation, the Institute has grown to have six campuses, one in each geo-political zone.

These campuses, which are in Abuja, Kano, Lagos, Asaba and Yola have some of the best training facilities and faculties in the country and have provided various training to individuals and corporate organisations, thereby making the Institute an invaluable institution to digital literacy in Nigeria.