NCC Boss, Maida thumbs up telecom sector contribution to nation’s economy despite challenges
… As NCC targets 25% telecoms sector contribution to GDP
State Correspondent
The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), recently organized a special industry reception to honour Dr. Aminu Maida, the Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), in Lagos.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, expressed his appreciation for the reception accorded him by ATCON and affirmed that the telecom sector has the ability to continue to be attracting investment and boosting the country’s economy.
Dr. Maida highlighted the sector’s significant contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), noting that the sector contributed 14.58% to the GDP in first quarter (Q1) of 2024 representing an increase from 14.13% in Q1 of 2023.
He lauded the growth witnessed so far in the sector, adding that it has performed well despite the country’s economic challenges.
EVC NCC hinted that the president also realised the importance of digital infrastructure to the future of Nigeria, adding that the Commission and the Ministry are focused on implementing policies that will boost the telecom’s sector contribution to the GDP to 25%.
“We believe that we can do 25% and above and work is going on in the regard with the ministry,” he said.
According to the EVC, efforts are being made to improve connectivity in the nation by the commission and its partners, noting that despite having around 200 million linked lines over half of them are still using the second-generation cellular networks (2G) in Nigeria.
“There is a lot of work to be done, especially in addressing challenges faced by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for long-term sustainability,” he emphasized.
He assured that the regulator has the telecom operators’ interest at heart following a recent requests by the telecom operators for the commission to approve tariff increases, noting that as a regulator there are two parties- the industry and the consumer, so NCC is working to get the right balance so everybody gets a fair deal.
Earlier, the President of ATCON, Mr. Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere, assured Dr. Maida of the industry’s support in addressing the telecom sector’s challenges.
Emoekpere mentioned a list of issues confronting the sector that is requiring intervention by the telecom regulator, which includes a review of telecom service prices to reflect rising inflation, which the regulator has not yet permitted.
(Gentech News)
