The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr Umar Garba Danbatta, has commended the Swedish Government and Ericsson for their commitment and consistency in a strategic partnership with NCC on capacity building which has strengthened the Commission’s regulatory activities.
Speaking at a workshop jointly organised by NCC and its
Swedish partners within the framework of the Swedish Programme for Information
and Communications Technology (ICT) in Developing and Emerging Regions
(SPIDER), Danbatta, a professor of engineering stressed the significant strides
made by NCC in the field of ICT.
“This workshop signposts the vital role the Nigerian
Communications Commission, as a regulator, has been playing in the West African
sub-region. It also highlights the unending objective of keeping up with the
times and ever-evolving dynamics of the telecommunications sector,” Danbatta
stated.
The NCC Chief Executive reiterated the enduring commitment
of the Swedish Government and SPIDER to the cause of ICT development in
emerging regions and acknowledged their roles in improving access to
healthcare, education, income generation, and employment opportunities in West
Africa, thereby contributing to poverty reduction.
“This periodic strategic engagement under the auspices of
SPIDER over the years has made the Commission a more effective regulator and
enhanced it contribution to the development of the telecommunications sector.
This contribution will further support the creation of an ecosystem that is
beneficial to the economies and people of the region,” the EVC said.
In her speech, the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Ghana,
Cameroun, and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mrs Annika
Hahn, highlighted the significance of ICT regulation and capacity building as
key drivers for economic development and social progress.
The ambassador also commended the NCC for hosting the event
and fostering collaboration between the two nations. She acknowledged the
pivotal role ICT has played in Sweden’s economic growth being the birthplace of
Ericsson, one of the world’s oldest and largest ICT companies, with a rich
history in the sector.
Speaking further, the ambassador stressed the importance of
the global technological revolution and its potential to catalyse industrial
and economic development. She further stressed the need for modern and
adaptable regulation to navigate this rapidly-evolving landscape.
Hahn also stated that, “to cope with this new and
swiftly-developing environment, we need to regulate in a modern and adaptable
way. Therefore, human capacity building in ICT regulation is crucial for all of
us.”
The diplomat said the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the
adoption of ICT across the globe, leading to an increase in Internet users as
the shift impacted various sectors, including education, commerce, and
financial services. She also said that e-learning practices on various
platforms played a significant role in the transformation.
Speaking further, the Ambassador said Ericsson has reported
that there were more than 900 million registered mobile subscriptions in
Sub-Saharan Africa in 2022, with a considerable portion of those in Nigeria.
The Swedish ambassador said that, in driving growth and
contributing to the ambitious goal of over a billion mobile subscriptions by
the end of 2023 within Sub-Saharan Africa, “education must be an essential part
of our regulatory development strategies and policies, hence the need for
collaboration in knowledge-sharing and up-skilling of human resources by all
stakeholders.”
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