The two universities include the premier University of
Ibadan, Oyo State and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi State, were
endowed with N20 million each over the next two years to embark on massive
research to promote innovation to drive socio-economic development in the
country.
Speaking during the award and signing of Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with the two varsities in Abuja on Wednesday, December 9,
2020, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta who was
represented by the NCC’s Director of Legal and Regulatory Services, Josephine
Amuwa, said the move was in continuation of NCC’s initiative aimed at
strengthening the telecommunications industry to continuously contribute to
national development.
“The Commission’s engagement with the academia, therefore,
is to ensure that there is application of knowledge generated in the tertiary
institutions in the telecommunications industry. The endowment of Professorial Chairs in
Universities is one of the initiatives to support the Academia in focus
research areas in ICT and contribute to the advancements in emerging
technologies,” he said.
The EVC further explained that the initiative is in line
with the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), 2020 – 2030,
which was unveiled by the Federal Government in 2019 with the mission of
building a nation where digital innovation and entrepreneurship are used to
create value and prosperity for all.
Specifically, Danbatta said NCC’s collaborations with the
academia would impact Pillar 3, 4 and 6 of NDEPS bordering on Solid
Infrastructure, Service Infrastructure and Digital Services Development and
Promotion, respectively.
The EVC also stated that the scheme aligns with two
additional pillars of the Commission’s Strategic Management Plan (SMP),
2020-2024 on Promotion of Development of Digital Economy and Strategic
Partnering.
Danbatta, therefore, charged the beneficiary universities to
ensure that regulatory and technological solutions with potential for improving
the industry are developed through dedication of the required human and
material resources to the programme.
Earlier in his welcome address, Director, Research and
Development, NCC, Dr. Henry Nkemadu, said the new professorial chair endowment
further demonstrates NCC’s conviction that the academia is a key driver to
innovation in all spheres of human endeavour, with specific reference to ideas,
inventions and prototype development for improving the level of productivity
and efficiency in the industry.
The instituting and endowing of professorial chairs in the
two premier universities brings to four, the number of tertiary institutions of
learning that have benefitted from the NCC’s innovation-driving initiative,
having endowed professorial chairs in Bayero University, Kano (BUK) and Federal
University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) in May, 2019.