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.
The Director, Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde who disclosed this in a statement made available to Channel Network Afrique, CNA said there was need for stakeholders collaboration 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.
“All the issues discussed will be articulated in a memorandum, which will be submitted to Management for consideration” he said.
The statement added that 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.
The statement also noted that the meeting was a welcome development, as it aligns with the telecom regulator’s strategic partnership and collaboration objectives adding 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.
The statement further stated 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.
Earlier, the NESG head of delegation, 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).
“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.