IHS Towers Supports United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) HIV/AIDS Eradication Efforts in Kebbi State

IHS Towers Supports United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) HIV/AIDS Eradication Efforts in Kebbi State

he U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) accepted a gift donation from IHS Towers, an international communications infrastructure company, to leverage efforts towards eradicating HIV and AIDS in Kebbi State. The donation of 75,300 HIV rapid test kits is part of USAID’s engagement of the private sector in Nigeria’s health sector.

 

The contribution from IHS Towers will strengthen ongoing U.S. government efforts in Kebbi State to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The test kits will support antenatal clinic services to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission and provide critical HIV testing services to numerous young children and other at-risk groups.

Our goal is to collaborate with the Government of Nigeria to achieve epidemic control while creating a sustainable framework for HIV in Nigeria

“Our goal is to collaborate with the Government of Nigeria to achieve epidemic control while creating a sustainable framework for HIV in Nigeria,” said Deputy Director HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis office USAID/Nigeria, Omosalewa Oyelaran, at the handover ceremony. “Today’s partnership with IHS Towers will help build the country’s capacities to be more self-sustaining and encourage local solutions.”

Kebbi State is the second state in Nigeria to benefit from this partnership with IHS, which builds on a previous contribution in Bayelsa state.

Speaking at the event, the Deputy Governor of Kebbi State, Samaila Dabai, said “these rapid test kits will help to effectively manage the HIV and AIDS elimination program in the state and will help improve access to quality healthcare to the people of state.”

The United States government, through USAID, provides comprehensive care and treatment services for 691,000 people living with HIV across 17 states and distributes lifesaving antiretroviral medicines to 1.9 million Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS. In Kebbi State, USAID through the Accelerating Control of the HIV Epidemic Project, provides HIV care and treatment services to more than 16,000 adults and children.

FG gets industry commendation on telecom policies

FG gets industry commendation on telecom policies

 

 

Cross section of participants at the ongoing 10th Edition of the National Council on Communications and Digital Economy, which commenced at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, since 4th December 2022, have commended the Federal Government for its commitment in providing leadership and guide for industry growth.

The commendation followed the listing of about 20 policies by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami aimed at promoting different areas of the digital economy, including the flagship National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020 – 2030, and the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025 – all of which have started to yield concrete, positive results for the economy.

Pantami said the recent assessments by the Foreign Development and Commonwealth Office (FDCO) and the KPMG Consulting which adjudged the communications and digital economy sector as the best performing sector in Nigeria, were based on 8 key priority areas, one of which was in revenue generation, where the sector has raised government revenue profile by 594 percent.

Among those who applauded the Federal Government’s vision for the sector are the Secretary to Oyo State Government, Her Honour Olubamiwo Adeosun, who represented His Excellency Oluseyi Makinde, Governor of Oyo State; and the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta.

Emphasising the centrality of digital innovation and digital entrepreneurship to a robust digital economy, the Minister commended the participants for the quality of evaluation, recommendations, and criticisms that attended the memoranda presented at the Council. He urged the media to give the best coverage to the communique to be issued after the meeting. He also enjoined professionals in the media systems of communication to note specific recommendations and the corresponding role of each stakeholder in the implementation of each item in the communique.

The Minister announced that 110 memoranda and recommendations were presented to the Council, out of which 67 were approved for implementation. The remaining 43 recommendations are to be reconsidered in the next meeting of the Council.

Pantami thanked the Government of Oyo State and the Olubadan of Ibadan, His Imperial Majesty, Dr. Lekan Ishola Balogun Alli, Alliwo Okumade II, for receiving him and his team on the courtesy visit he paid earlier to the Palace, and to the Governor’s Office where Adeosun had also received the Minister on behalf of the Governor.

In his goodwill message, the EVC/CEO of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta praised the minister for his impeccable supervisory role as the leader of the sector. Danbatta also praised the Federal Government for being the most revolutionary administration in its commitment to the utilisation of digital resources for the growth of individuals, businesses and the national economy through design of policies to achieve concrete, measurable and remarkable deployment of cutting-edge technological applications.

On behalf of the Board and Management of NCC, Danbatta thanked participants for their attendance and active participation, which attested to the importance they all attached to the promotion of digital economy and culture.

Amplifying the voice of the Minister, the EVC stated that the participants’ commitment to government’s digital economy agenda has been well demonstrated in the methodical review of the recommendations of the 9th Council meeting, objective identification of achievements, and the frank approach taken to chart the path towards future goals and expectations.

The EVC promised that, “NCC remains committed to supporting all policies, strategies, plans and initiatives that promote the provision of modern, universal, efficient, reliable, affordable, and easily accessible communications services that give the widest range throughout Nigeria”. He also emphasised that it is in demonstration of its commitment that the Commission undertook a timely release of spectrum in the 3.5GHz band for the deployment of 5G services to ensure that Nigerian citizens, businesses, public institutions and other stakeholders are enabled with requisite infrastructure to engage in the emergent digital economy and culture.

 

ON THE UPCOMING AUCTION OF TWO (2) LOTS OF 3.5GHZ SPECTRUM

ON THE UPCOMING AUCTION OF TWO (2) LOTS OF 3.5GHZ SPECTRUM

 

The Nigerian Communications Commission (the Commission), in line with Section 121 of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003 (the Act) has the responsibility to manage and administer Spectrum resources for the communications sector in an efficient and effective manner. This is for the socio-economic benefit of the country.

Accordingly, it is the Commission’s responsibility, as the industry regulator, to ensure that harmonized and standardized Spectrum resources are made available in a timely manner to ensure its optimal utilization. The impact of the Commission’s regulatory activities in this regard is evident in the contribution of ICT, and telecommunications in particular, to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.

The Act allows available Spectrum resources to be licensed through different methods. Spectrum licensing via Auction is one of the most transparent methods of assigning Spectrum resources globally. It is important to note that the Commission in response to requests for more Spectrum lots to be made available during the 2021 Stakeholders’ engagement had estimated a period of 24 months to clear all encumbrances in the remaining two (2) lots of the 3.5GHz band.

The Information Memorandum that guided the 2021 Auction process further stated the Commission’s intention to migrate incumbent users of the remaining portion of the C-band to free up Spectrum and make it available for the deployment of new services. The Commission has achieved the clearance earlier than estimated 24 months, thus making the Spectrum available for licensing.

The Commission wishes to reiterate that as a regulatory body holding in trust the management and administration of scarce spectrum resources on behalf of Federal government that it will continue to make available, the much needed harmonized and standardized Spectrum resources to the industry. The Auction is designed to boost competition by making it open to both new entrants as well as existing licensees.

We, therefore, wish to reassure all stakeholders and investors, that the processes and schedule for the Auction of two (2) lots of 3.5GHz Spectrum will take place as planned. The final Information Memorandum for the Auction has been published on the Commission’s website. Interested applicants are advised to adhere to the requirements as specified in the Information Memorandum for participation in the Auction.

Africa Data Centres extends edge cloud capability through Unitellas partnership at Lagos facility

Africa Data Centres extends edge cloud capability through Unitellas partnership at Lagos facility

Africa Data Centres (www.AfricaDataCentres.com), a business of Cassava Technologies, a pan-African technology group, is pleased to announce that enterprise cloud services provider Unitellas will be bringing Zadara’s global federated edge service to its new facility in Lagos, Nigeria. Unitellas is a Nigerian-based full-stack managed infrastructure-as-a-service provider and distributor of “Zadara” – a renowned global leader of Edge cloud services.

 

According to Tesh Durvasula, CEO of Africa Data Centres: “West African enterprises are looking at cloud technology, but it will be vital to build trust to mitigate concerns around data sovereignty, security, and privacy. Addressing these issues will be vital if we are to onboard new cloud providers. Enterprises can take advantage of the cost, flexibility and scalability of cloud while local data centres provide the unique ability to control, localise and secure physical access to data. Through our ecosystem of partners, customers have access to multiple cloud onramps and connectivity options. Data centres and cloud technology provide a platform for effective disaster recovery, cloud migrations and hybrid solutions. Increasing the richness of the ecosystem by adding solutions like Zadara through Unitellas, makes our Lagos-based offering even more attractive to West African players.”

The move into Nigeria follows the announcement in July 2021 when Africa Data Centres (www.AfricaDataCentres.com) added edge cloud services to its Midrand marketplace in South Africa. However, where the Midrand deployment involved service provider Global Sense, in West Africa Zadara is distributed through Unitellas (www.Unitellas.com.ng).

Africa Data Centres has facilities across Africa’s major regional business and trade hubs and aims to help drive Africa’s digital transformation using that network. Both multinationals and large African enterprises are being attracted to these growing hubs of cloud-based business operation—all provided in highly connected, physically secure and efficient facilities that are designed, built and operated to the standards demanded by leading global cloud providers, carriers and enterprises.

Together, we are enabling customers to reduce cost, increase agility and drive productivity within their businesses

“Providing local access to world-class cloud technology aligns with our strategy of digitally transforming Africa,” continues Durvasula. “The partnership between Africa Data Centres and Unitellas means that West African customers have at their disposal fully-managed IT infrastructure-on-demand, can flexibly scale their solutions as business needs change, simplifying potentially complex IT deployments so that they can focus on their core business. We value our continued growing partnership with Zadara through our secure, cloud and carrier-neutral facilities.”

“With the African data centre market expected to experience a CAGR of 15% over the coming years, the time is now to bring these benefits to the continent,” says Smith Osemeke, MD and CEO of Unitellas. “This means enterprises can now take advantage of the cost, flexibility and scalability of the cloud, because having this presence in a local data centre provides the unique ability to control, localise and secure physical access to data, enabling data sovereignty, security and privacy.”

According to Osemeke, Zadara delivers superior turnkey solutions with the benefits of on-demand compute and storage services anywhere, in an existing on-premises data centre, in a private colocation facility, or in the cloud. This flexibility enables customers to develop, deploy, run and virtualise any application on a true 100% opex consumption-based model. Africa Data Centres owns and operates Africa’s largest network of interconnected, carrier- and cloud-neutral data centre facilities.

When critical data of businesses and citizens of Nigeria are stored locally, the risk of leaks or access by foreign agents or foreign nation will be eliminated thus promoting greater confidence in local technology and a boom in domestic tech ecosystems and economic growth for Nigeria, adds Osemeke. “Our presence in Africa Data Centres brings computing power and storage closer to the source of data generation and enterprises requiring data to make data driven decisions can effectively utilise real-time applications because latency associated with processing and analysing data is reduced.”

With this strategic partnership, Osemeke says major regional businesses and trade hubs are now empowered to drive Africa’s digital transformation using the network of Africa Data centre across Africa.

“We are proud to work with Africa Data Centres – their state-of-the-art data centres combined with Zadara technology will allow African organisations access to advanced, localised compute network and storage cloud services.  Together, we are enabling customers to reduce cost, increase agility and drive productivity within their businesses,” ends Osemeke.

NCC Offers Two More Slots on 3.5GHz Band for 5G Services

NCC Offers Two More Slots on 3.5GHz Band for 5G Services

 

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has put up another two slots of spectrum in the 3.5GHz Spectrum band for auction before end of 2022, to boost deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) services in Nigeria.

The process, which was made public on 21st October 2022 with the publication of the Draft Information Memorandum (IM) for the auction on the Commission’s website, invited stakeholders to study the Memorandum for purposes of making submissions ahead of a review of the IM on 16th November 2022.

The final IM is slated for publication on 18th December 2022, while applications will be received by the Commission from 21st November 2022. The closing date for the submission of application, the deadline for payment of mandatory Intention-To-Bid Deposit (IBD), and the Pre-Qualification Stage is set for 5th December 2022.

Qualified bidders would be notified on 5th December 2022 while notification and publication of the Mock Auction and Auction date will occur on the same day. The Mock Action is billed for 16th December 2022 just as the Auction proper takes place three days later, on 19th December 2022.

The process is anticipated to enter its grant stage on 21st December 2022 with the publication of provisional bid winners and the notification of provisional award of licence.

The year 2023 will open with the payment for Spectrum Licence and Operational Licence, where applicable, on 20th January 2023 and on the 23rd of January 2023, the auction process will be concluded with the publication of the result.

Meanwhile, according to the Information Memorandum, pursuant to the issuance of the IM, the Commission reserves the right to make available additional information through the publication of further documentation. Therefore, interested parties are advised to stay abreast with developments in the licensing process by checking regularly for updates on the Commission’s website.

NCC Receives Cybersecurity Award, Seeks Safer Internet Usage

NCC Receives Cybersecurity Award, Seeks Safer Internet Usage

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The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) at the weekend received a cybersecurity promotion award from the Cybersecurity Experts Association of Nigerian (CSEAN) and called on relevant stakeholders to join hands with NCC to promote safer Internet experience in Nigeria.

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The award was conferred on the Commission in recognition of NCC’s sterling contributions to the protection of telecom consumers from all forms of cybercrimes. The conferment ceremony took place at the maiden edition of Cybersecurity Merit Awards (CMA-2022) organised by CSEAN in Lagos.

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Receiving the 2022 Cybersecurity Award for Best Public Sector Organisation at the event, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, who was represented by a delegation led by the Director, New Media and Information Security (NMIS), Dr. Alhassan Haru; and Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Reuben Muoka, thanked the orgainser for the recognition.

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He told the audience that tackling the menace of cybercrime in the country has become even more imperative as the success of the implementation of digital economy policy and strategy depends on a strong foundation of cybersecurity architecture in Nigeria.

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Danbatta said one of the key pillars of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, is Soft Infrastructure, which is premised on harnessing policy and regulatory initiatives to create an enabling environment that focuses on increased protection for users of digital products and services in the country. “The Commission is committed to ensuring that the Nigerian cyberspace is protected against the nefarious activities of cybercriminals that endanger unsuspecting Internet users in the country,” he said.

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The EVC said it is in recognition of the strategic role the cyberspace plays in the advancement of digital economy that the Commission created NMIS department in charge of several activities, initiatives and programmes pivoted on collaboration to enhance cybersecurity and information security in the Nigerian cyberspace. “We have continued to be part of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), promote Child Online Protection as well as create awareness on cyber threats through the NCC’s Computer Security Incidence Response Team (CSIRT), which constantly monitors the cyberspace and publishes advisories on identified cyber threats,” the EVC said.

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Danbatta said as the regulator of telecom sector, the main carrier of cyber communication, the NCC has leveraged NDEPS to work with relevant stakeholders to create an enabling environment where Internet users are able to navigate the cyberspace without being abused, attacked or losing money. The Chief telecom regulator appealed to all stakeholders to join hands with the Commission in tackling every manifestation of cyber threat.

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The CMA 2020 is organized to recognise individuals, startups, private businesses, Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) of government, as well as state governments for excellence, innovation, and effective leadership in promoting cybersecurity ecosystem in Nigeria.

Nigeria Re-Elected as ITU Council Member

Nigeria Re-Elected as ITU Council Member

 

 

In clear recognition of the critical role Nigeria is playing on the global telecom stage, the country was re-elected earlier today as a Council member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialised agency that oversees global telecommunication operations. Nigeria will serve on the Council again from 2023-2026.

 

The election of Nigeria and other countries, on Monday, October 3, 2022, into different regional groups that constitute ITU Council, was the highpoint of the Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 (PP-22) ongoing in Bucharest, the capital city of the Republic of Romania.

 

The Nigerian delegation was successfully led to the global event by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami. Other members of the delegation include the Chairman, Board of Commissioners of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Adeolu Akande, and the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta.

 

At the conference, which started on September 26, 2022 and scheduled to end on October 14, 2022, member states at the event voted on the composition of the next ITU Council and the 12 representatives to serve on the Radio Regulations Board (RRB) for the next four years.

 

The 21st Plenipotentiary Conference of the Council, also saw the election by member states, of Doreen Bogdan-Martin of the United States of America as the organisation’s next Secretary-General.

 

Like Nigeria and the countries elected into the Council, Bogdan-Martin, as the first woman to lead ITU in its 157-year history, will begin her four-year term from January 2023, when Houlin Zhao would have completed his second final term of four years in office as ITU Secretary General.

 

The seats in ITU Council are divided into five regions, A to E. Nigeria was elected into the ITU Council, Region D for Africa, which has 13 seats. Other 12 countries elected alongside Nigeria are Algeria; Egypt; Ghana; Kenya; Mauritius; Morocco; Rwanda; Senegal; South Africa; Tanzania; Tunisia; Uganda.

 

Elections of member states also took place into the Region A for The Americas (nine seats); Region B for Western Europe (eight seats); Region C for Eastern Europe & Northern Asia (five seats); and Region E, for Asia and Australasia with 13 seats as Africa.

 

Commenting on Nigeria’s re-election as ITU Council member, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Umar Danbatta, thanked the ITU member states for the confidence it has in Nigeria expressed by the re-elected into the ITU Council, in which the country has been playing critical role over the years.

 

“The re-election of Nigeria as a member of ITU Council for the next four years, again, points to the globally-recognised leadership role Nigeria is playing in Africa and at the level of ITU Council in the area of telecommunications policy formulation and technical regulations development to drive ITU’s mission and vision,” the EVC said.

 

The ITU, originally established in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union and became a United Nations specialised agency in 1947, was set up to coordinate telecommunications operations and services throughout the world. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

 

Nigeria became a member of ITU on November 4, 1961. The USA joined on July 1, 1908; United Kingdom, February 24, 1871, and UAE on June 27, 1972.

 

The ITU is governed by the Plenipotentiary Conference and the Administrative Council. The Plenipotentiary Conference is the supreme organ of the Union. It is the decision-making body which determines the direction of the Union and its activities.

 

The Council, on the other hand, acts as the Union’s governing body in the interval between Plenipotentiary Conferences. Its role is to consider broad telecommunication policy issues to ensure that the Union’s activities, policies, and strategies fully respond to today’s dynamic, rapidly changing telecommunications environment.

 

ITU Council also prepares a report on the policy and strategic planning of the ITU, and it is responsible for ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of the Union, coordinating work programmes, approving budgets, and controlling finances and expenditure.

 

The Council also takes all steps to facilitate the implementation of the provisions of the ITU Constitution, the ITU Convention, the Administrative Regulations (International Telecommunications Regulations and Radio Regulations), the decisions of Plenipotentiary Conferences, and where appropriate, the decisions of other conferences and meetings of the Union.

Over 50,000 Telecom Infrastructure Destruction Reported in 5 Years

Over 50,000 Telecom Infrastructure Destruction Reported in 5 Years

 

 

Over 50,000 cases of major destruction to telecom infrastructure and facilities have been reported across the country in the past five years, raising alarm over the implication of these incidents to the quality of telecommunications services in Nigeria.

 

Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, who disclosed this at the 2022 edition of Youth Civil Society and Stakeholders Summit (YCSSS), which took place midweek at the Army Resource Centre, Abuja, expressed worry over how the incidents have continued to affect the Quality of Experience, (QoE), of consumers, and called for concerted efforts by the members of the public, and security agencies, to stem the tide.

 

Danbatta, who spoke through the Head, Corporate Communication Unit of the Commission, Mrs. Nnena Ukoha, said the negative impacts of incessant vandalism of telecom equipment, evidenced in fibre cuts, theft of telecom facilities like generators at sites, vandalism of base stations, among other vices, have become a major burden on the service providers, while telecom consumers have continued to suffer unwarranted disruptions of their hard-earned services.

 

“The impact of  vandalism of infrastructure is felt by all in the quality of services rendered, as it results in increasing drop calls, data and Internet connectivity disruptions, aborted and undelivered short messaging services (SMS), as well as countless failed calls”, he said.

 

The NCC‘s Chief Executive Officer said that, considering the well-known fact that the ability to connect and communicate is fundamental to human existence, improvement in businesses processes, government services, education, as well as social and family networking through seamless connections, every community should get involved in protecting the critical infrastructure that makes these services possible.

 

“Therefore, as a community, you are expected to report cases of vandalism of telecoms infrastructure to the nearest law enforcement agencies such as the Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and also share adequate information received from NCC with your family, friends, and neighbours.

 

“We believe, with your cooperation as critical stakeholders in the telecoms sector, we can all work with the law enforcement authorities in protecting telecom infrastructure in your community”, Danbatta stated to emphasise the role of the communities in protecting critical national assets.

 

Danbatta Applauds Pantami’s Appointment as WISIS Chair

Danbatta Applauds Pantami’s Appointment as WISIS Chair

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, has congratulated the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, on his appointment as the Chairman of the 2022 World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) Forum by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Danbatta described the choice of the Minister as chair of the Forum as a worthy recognition of Nigeria’s leadership role in the global digital economy ecosystem, noting that Nigeria has continued to hold a front-row seat in the promotion of information and communication technology (ICT) as a driving force for national development since the assumption of office of the Minister.

“On behalf of the Board, Management and Staff of the Nigerian Communications Commission, I want to express our profound delight and congratulations to the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, on his well-deserved appointment by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to chair this year’s WSIS Forum”, Danbatta stated.

“The appointment did not surprise us at NCC, given the important role the Hon. Minister has been playing in driving fundamental digital economy policies, being implemented by agencies under his supervision, in order to boost the diversification policy of the Federal Government,” the EVC said.

“We are, therefore, happy to associate with the Minister on this feat, as it means greater recognition for Nigeria. The appointment is an indication that the world has continued to take notice of the giant strides of Nigeria’s digital economy under the supervision of the Minister.

The NCC will continue to do everything within its regulatory mandate to further support the Federal Government’s drive for ubiquitous, affordable and accessible digital services across all nooks and crannies of the country,” Danbatta said.

Following consultations with various stakeholders, the ITU recently notified the Minister via a letter, of his appointment as the 2022 WSIS Chairman.

The ITU is orgainsing the WSIS 2022 Forum in collaboration with other agencies with the United Nations with a focus on “ICTs for Well-Being, Inclusion and Resilience: WSIS Cooperation for Accelerating Progress on the SDGs”.

As has been noted elsewhere, the appointment of Prof. Pantami has given Nigeria, and indeed, the African continent, the unique role of coordinating the activities of the WSIS in its 20th year, following the WSIS Phase I meeting which took place in 2003.

The WSIS Forum 2022, which will be attended by several high-level stakeholders, including Cabinet Ministers from ITU countries, will serve as a key platform to discuss the role of ICTs as a means to bolster the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals targets. The discourse will take place in the context of the mechanism for follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UNGA Resolution A/70/1).

The WSIS Forum also provides an opportunity to track the achievements of WSIS Action Lines in collaboration with the UN Agencies involved and provides information and analysis on the implementation of WSIS Action Lines since 2005. The Forum aims at enhancing cooperation, partnership, innovation, exchange of experiences and good practices in ICTs for sustainable development across the world.

Cable Equiano: Pantami, Danbatta Pledge Enabling Policy Environment for Wider Connectivity

Cable Equiano: Pantami, Danbatta Pledge Enabling Policy Environment for Wider Connectivity

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), and the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, have promised to continue to drive policy initiatives that promote investment in infrastructure in the Nigerian telecom industry in order to deepen connectivity to enhance the nation’s growth and development.

The duo stated this on the sideline of the reception marking the landing of the Equiano undersea Cable System in Nigeria at the Open Access Data Centre at Lekki in Lagos. Pantami and Danbatta commended Google LLC, the West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC), and other investors for bringing additional bandwidth capacity into the country to drive connectivity and growth.

While Pantami was represented at the event by NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management, Adeleke Adewolu, Danbatta was represented by the Executive Commissioner, Technical Services at NCC, Ubale Maska. Other senior management staff of the Commission at the event included the NCC’s Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Bako Wakil, and the Controller, NCC’s Ibadan Zonal Office, Yomi Arowosafe.

The Minister said the Federal Government, through the Ministry, will continue to drive the implementation of existing digital economy-oriented policies already put in place by the current administration. Pantami also promised an enabling environment that encourages foreign and local investment in infrastructure project such as the way Google and its co-investors have done.

Also commenting, Danbatta said the Commission’s expectations, initiatives, and vision towards increasing broadband penetration, quality of service, advancement of a digital economy, and commitment to improving national security through technological advancement, are on the priority list of its regulatory interventions.

Danbatta expressed delight that Equiano has joined the list of other submarine cables at the shores of Nigeria, including SAT3 cable, MainOne cable, Glo1 cable, ACE cable WACS cable, Dolphin by Natcom, and MTN respectively.

The EVC assured stakeholders of  Commission’s commitment towards ensuring that the huge bandwidth capacity from these cables at shore in Lagos would be transmitted to different part of the country to drive robust and ubiquitous infrastructure. This is in keeping with the provisions of the digital economy policy being implemented by government in collaboration with all stakeholders.

The EVC expressed optimism that Google’s investment in the subsea cable, Equiano, will be significant in driving NCC’s ongoing implementation of the Nigerian National Broadband Plan (NNBP) 2020-2025, which aims at increasing broadband penetration to 70 per cent by 2025.

“We are hopeful that Equiano, together with earlier undersea cables in the country, will have additional landing points in the hinterlands through collaborative efforts with NCC-licensed Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos). This will help to reduce retail data prices significantly and thereby complementing the Commission’s efforts at ensuring that affordable Internet services are available to boost Commission’s onbgoing broadband policy initiatives”. Danbatta stated and thereby helped to reiterate the objective linkages of policies and plans in the telecom ecosystem, and the national economic strategies.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who also witnessed the unveiling of the Google submarine cable, underscored its centrality to Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to boost job creation and contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), over the next three years.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of WIOCC, Chris Wood, also described the landing of the submarine cables as a major investment in the Nigerian digital economy.

The new cable system is named after a Nigerian hero, Olaudah Equiano, who survived enslavement in the 18th century and went on to become a famous writer and anti-slavery activist. Besides, the triumph over challenges, which Equiano’s life symbolised, the landing of the cable in Nigeria is expected to underscore Nigeria’s leadership as a regional hub for connectivity, and thus, set to attract cloud operators, content providers, content distribution networks and their associated ecosystems.