…Says ICT records 17.9%National GDP
By Ignatius Okorocha
The federal government on Tuesday commended the board and Management of Nigerian Communications Commission for Unveiling/launching a new Strategic Vision Plan, global connect Podcast and a compendium of speeches of the Executive Vice Chairman, Prof Umar Garba Danbatta.
This is even as the Federal government has disclosed that the ICT sector has surprisingly contributed about 17.9% GrossDomestic Product (GDP) to the nation’s economy.
Speaking at the unveiling/ launching of NCC new Strategic Vision Plan , Compendium of Danbatta’s speeches and global connect podcast initiatives in Abuja yesterday, Minister of Communication and Digital. economy, Prof Isa Aliyu Pantami said that the three initiatives of the board and management of the commission are in alignment within the three priority areas of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
He noted,”these three documents that were unveiled and commissioned today starting with the Strategic Vision Implementation plan plan 2020 to 2025. Strategic vision is key to the foundation of whatever we do to change our national policy for implementation. This strategy of NCC has captured the two national policies that are relevant to it.
“Most importantly the national digital economic policy strategy for digital Nigeria and Nigeria broadband for digital economy and this what this strategy is all about. It is because of is that I commend the commission for coming with strategy that will make it easier for us to implement the national policy that we have in place.”
He challenged the commission to discover things that the strategy should do and thing it should not do so that the strategy would be implemented esily.
He also commented Executive Vice Chairman for rolling out the compendium of speeches noting,”what is written and documented will last longer, what is said would be forgotten. Document or writing a book is something that would be celebrated by us because no leader would be successful without writing and reading”
The Minister further disclosed,”I want to use the opportunity to convey to all our stakeholders that a I personally received from my boss President Muhammadu Buhari on the 30th of August 2021. I think the content of the letter is not for me but for all the stakeholders in the digital economy sector and I am glad that to use this avenue to convey the message.
“A report was presented to the President about he performance of the ICT sector in Nigeria in so many areas particularly in that report, Mr President said the performance of the sector has contributed 17.90percent of our nation’s gross domestic product is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria and ICT as a sector. Then, Mr president minuted the content to me by just saying Hon Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, and saying “Well done”.
Earlier, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission NCC Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta explained that the new SVP encapsulates the vision, mission and drive of the NCC and highlights of its continuous quest to re-invent and re-invigorate the commission’s personnel in order to surpass the achievements of the past years.
According to him, Some of the new vision’s key area of focus include organisational renewal for operational efficiency, regulatory excellence, facilitation the provision of infrastructure for a digital economy which fosters national development and promotion of fair competition, incresed investment and innovative services.
Others are improving quality of service for enhanced consumer quality of experience and facilitation of strategic collaboration and partnership.
The NCC boss assured invited telecommunications stakeholders that he would ensure a strong commitment to the implementation of the New strategic vision as the initiative has inbuilt key performance indicator ties to the implementation of responsibilities.
He also said that the the strategic vision embodies a robust monitoring and evaluation mechanism and several other innovative elements designed to re-invent and transform the telecoms ecosystem within the context of regulation.
The telecoms regulatory agency also publicly presented a 531 pages book titled ‘Catalysing Nigeria’s Socio-Economic Transformation Through Broadband Infrastructure’ written by the professor of telecommunications engineering.
At the event the book reviewer Prof Chidi Akujor of Federal Univeristy of Technology Owerr noted that the erudite professor exposed himself as an unrepentant intellectual in the communications sector.
Other top government officials and other stakeholders also lauded the initiative by the regulator of the telecommunications sector and emphasized the import of its role in the industry.
